Here at last is Elvira Vázquez’s very personal account of her adventure to save a historical relic: El Molino. Always discreet, she had kept this detailed information to herself, but when the time she chose came and she got down to business, the truth is that she hasn’t cut a hair.
The Elvira Vázquez who suddenly appeared as the savior of the mythical concert café had a past that allowed her to harbor good omens. And she herself recounts it in the first part of her book El Molino, la marca del Paral·lel (published by Almuzara). University preparation in several specialties, entrepreneurial vocation with successful results and a remarkable capacity for initiative. All this led her to deploy major performances in very diverse fields.
Thus, he found El Molino at a time that seemed doomed to disappear. After an aberrational stage led by the grandson of the historic owner, Doña Fernanda, and in the midst of the appearance of Russian shareholders, she entered the fray. The first initiative of those foreigners had been limited to destroying all the interior modernist decoration, designed by the prominent architect Manuel Raspall. She got involved in such a way that she finally managed to be the sole owner. There is nothing.
It was easy to decide that the demolition was necessary; the difficult thing turned out to be raising another reality and well facing the future. The engineer Ángel Llovet and the architect Josep Bohigas (BOPBAA workshop) were decisively key in this period.
Elvira Vázquez always considered that she had to save El Molino, but closely linked to an abandoned and dying Paral·lel. Her efforts found the collaboration of the various mayors who paraded while she was in charge, except in Colau’s double term: a failure that worsened the outlook.
The most committed aspect appeared after the inauguration of an attractive premises and the best technically equipped. The type of shows that the new public demanded were not found. Neither during construction nor during commissioning did he ask for or receive a single public euro. It did not resist anymore and had to sell it to the City Council. It was a story that can only be explained by a surrendered love. We will watch so that he does not join Talía, Arnau and a Barts in danger.
Big traffic jam at the end of Via Laietana, something inappropriate for the day, last Saturday, and the time, they still hadn’t given 11:30. I approach after a while, as the situation has worsened and the honking doesn’t stop. The origin of the conflict was at a strategic and increasingly conflictive crossroads: Claris, Ronda, Urquinaona and Laietana. And it is that the area was being paved. There was not a single guard in sight; Some employees of the construction company were trying to organize the situation. The company had previously extended some tapes in his name so that pedestrians would not cross through improper areas. They didn’t pay much attention: they picked up the tape and went where they wanted. At about twelve o’clock, a couple from the Urban Police appear, which is located at the intersection of Urquinaona and Ronda. They begin to command, but soon it is observed that they are overwhelmed and cannot control the situation. The chaos is considerable and the panorama becomes dangerous. I am amazed that a deployment of agents was not planned in accordance with this conflict that had to be planned and that affects security at such a sensitive time.
