The nobility opted for Eixample from the first moment, attracted by Passeig de Gràcia. Eleven titles were installed in single-family homes. The Marquis of Robert carried a pistol if he had to return very late. The Marquis of Marianao, now mayor, was asked to pave half of his sidewalk, which was the responsibility of the City Council, to set an example; He said no.
The big bourgeoisie tended to prefer profitable residential houses. Due to the lack of elevators, he lived on the first floor: the main one. The banker Arnús, patron of that Lyric Theater esteemed as the little Liceu, set up his house on the nearby corner of Mallorca Street.
Pere Milà, when marrying the wealthy Rosario Segimón in his second marriage (he quipped: “we don’t know if he married the widow Guardiola or the widow’s housekeeper”), was able to commission La Pedrera. When he died in 1940, the news said: “strange realization of Gaudí’s genius”. It was ensured that the nearby owners stopped dealing with the Milans, believing that this extravagance devalued the category of the walk and the price of the sacred square of land.
The prominent textile businessman Pedro Feliu and one of the first tenants owned three Rolls: the small one for the shopping maids, the medium one for the city and the large one for Europe. The size of this required maneuvering in order to access the first underground parking lot; He convinced Gaudí to move a column. Antoni Amatller was more foresighted, installing a rotating platform at the end of the hallway to leave him already facing the exit.
The Casas family commissioned two neighboring buildings (numbers 94 and 96), and the painter set up his workshop in the patio; Coming from the gloomy Nou de Sant Francesc street, his palette gained a noticeable luminosity. Rusiñol, his bosom friend, was invited to live in the house; He thought it was great, and on top of that he had the La Puñalada café around the corner, enlivened by the Francesc Pujols club.
Mrs. Batlló had to stop Gaudí. The architect was drawing the dining room furniture and asked her how many males and females she had, a vocabulary that made her uncomfortable. She asked him the reason: a different chair for each sex. Although fashion agreed with her, she ordered the unique model.
The arrival of the historic Equestrian Circle was welcomed under the presidency of Albert Rusiñol, brother of Santiago, who in 1926 inaugurated the formidable building (number 38-40) designed by the Austrian architect Alfred Keller. Alfonso XIII attended the event. It was the most luxurious club in Europe. The partners, who enjoyed so many hours there being better than at home and at work, became in a way also neighbors
Another neighbor, although of a different style, was the Agrupació Astronòmica Aster (number 71) perched on the roof. It was built by hand by the partners, infected by the enthusiasm of the young president Ernest Guille. Its prestige was elevated by being the first in Europe to detect the passage of Sputnik 1. The structure, empty, is still visible.
