Surely no one would associate this building with a pediment. It is not a matter of suspicion, as the Basque pilots invited to compete there for the first time were amazed, and revealed that in their lives they had never seen anything like it in terms of magnificence and style.
In reality, they were used to finding simple walls at the service of a space, and that was enough for them.
It was said that it would have suited him better to name it Jai alai (joyful party), since once you entered it, it was obvious that you received the gratifying impact of breathing joy.
The only clue would be provided by the sign that sticks out to the right, as it announced the name of the track in a very visible way.
The Frontó Barcelonès was erected at the corner of Diputació and Sicília streets. It was a work of the architect Enric Sagnier’s youth: although he was about thirty years old, he already had the Palace of Justice in his history (in collaboration with Domènech i Estapà). It was inaugurated on October 19, 1893 with a colossal success: it welcomed around five thousand people.
The rotund and elegant body of the building contained the main door, an important task due to the fact that it shielded the pretended image of quality, but it had to fulfill a functional task at the same time.
The first mission, that of receiving and showing off, was approved with excellence both by the master lines of a well-turned curvature and by the not at all secondary details of the generous, delicate and original ornamentation.
The second mission, more prosaic, was to provide access to the service area (cafeteria, restaurant, offices, and the entrance to the upper gallery of the track) and also the direct entrance of the public at the foot of the track huge, given the maximum dimensions for the spectacular specialty of cesta punta.
The accredited journalist Josep Roca i Roca fell in love with the new pediment and did not hesitate to make it public: he revealed that it was elegant, sumptuous and comfortable. He added that the intelligent in the field assumed that there is no other in Spain that can match it, it produces a great effect and has earned the young architect Mr. Sagnier the warmest congratulations.
It was demolished in 1902. A shame, given the huge fan base that was already taking root in the city.
