The Portal de la Pau building will recover its original splendor, which it shone when it was inaugurated in 1907 as a maritime station on the ground floor for passengers traveling to the Balearic Islands and an imposing restaurant on the main floor, the Mundial Palace. Closed since 2008, and after a first failed attempt at rehabilitation in 2017, work finally started a few weeks ago. The rehabilitation will take place in two phases: the exterior will be ready next August so that the building can shine while the America's Cup is held. In November, the crane will be assembled again to tackle the works inside and finish the last facade and be able to open in 2025.
The original glamor was transformed into offices when in 1918, after the terminal concession expired, the building became the headquarters of the port, a role it held until 2008, when the Port Authority moved to World Trade Center. The forceful intervention that was carried out to adapt the space, raising partitions and false ceilings to gain more floors was one of the reasons that forced the first rehabilitation project to stop.
The current proposal envisages a port information center on the ground floor – which has an independent project – with a shop on the rear facade and a bar on the Moll de la Fusta. The main floor will host a protocol office for the port presidency and the large multi-purpose room, of around 300 square meters, which was originally the restaurant. On the second floor, the original dome will shine again. "The recovery of the Old Port has no meaning without this building, which has played a very important role for the city and which is a fundamental piece due to its location, between the Rambla and the Moll de Barcelona and d'Espanya", insisted yesterday the president of the port, Lluís Salvadó after showing the project to the members of the board of directors.
At the end of next July, the crane and scaffolding will be removed from the main facade, the Portal de la Pau and the two side facades because in August, September and October, while the Copa de l' America this space, which will be a main stage of the event, show its best face. "The facade, now cream-colored, will regain its original tone, stone gray, and all the decorative and sculptural elements will be rehabilitated," explains the architect in charge of the project, Jordi Julián.
The origin of the building goes back to 1902, when the project was commissioned. It began to be built in 1903 and was inaugurated in June 1907. With an eclectic style and a French air due to the zinc elements on the balconies and the four towers, the building was attached, at the back, to some port warehouses . During the America's Cup, this facade will be covered with a canvas, "which can be a communicative element", pointed out Salvadó. It will be temporary. On this facade, next to the Moll de la Fusta, where the store will be located that will operate as an exit from the outreach center, the project foresees a double glass facade and a new element, "a box also made of glass that will not touch the facade", added Julián.
The main entrance will give way to a lobby, and the elevators and stairs to access the first and second floors will be located in the two towers. On the first floor, in addition to the protocol office and a meeting room with kitchen, the center of attention will be the great room, with a height of eleven meters. The second floor, with views over the entire port, will be rehabilitated "as a space to receive visitors", pointed out Julián.
The works are scheduled to last 18 months and the building, after the America's Cup break, can open to the public in 2025, after 17 years of closure. In 2010, work began on a first project, which ended up being awarded in 2017 and in which 1.9 million were invested. "But then, given the state of the building, it was agreed to do a new project", he explained.
