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Itinerary 2 Palma and the Ensanche
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Route A
Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Baleares One
can see this building near Plaza Sant Francesc in Calle Ramon
Llull, number 2. It was originally the work of Gaspar Bennazar,
in 1906; nowadays, with respect to the initial plans, it
is incomplete and altered, though well conserved. However,
its Modernist characteristics have not been lost. The ornamental
motifs, although somewhat austere, the design of the stone
surfaces, the wrought iron work, and the materials chosen
bring the architectural affiliations of its Modernist author
to mind.
Can Barceló Can Barceló is in the Plaza
Quadrado. It is a Pre-Modernist building, work of the Master
Builder Bartomeu Ferà. It contains Modernist seed
as far as its gestation is concerned, as well as its wrought
ironwork, carpentry work and the utilization of plant and
animal motif features.
The winding series of glassed-in balconies on the corner of the
Edifici Triquet tapers until it becomes a tower inspired by minarets
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Edificio Triquet This building is at 9, Avenida
Alexandre Rosselló, and is a block of flats
designed by Gaspar Bennazar. The Bar Triquet is on
the ground floor. It is a building with suggestive
undulating lines, with a prodigious amount of ornamentation
based on plant motifs, inspired by the Mudejar style.
In the Edificio Triquet, the windows that wind, snakelike,
round the corner of the building are quite remarkable,
decreasing in size on every floor until, at the top,
there is just a minaret-inspired tower.
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Bar Espiga de Oro The building known as the Bar Espiga
de Oro is in the same street, Avenida Alexandre Rosselló,
number 7. It is another of Bennazar's works dating back to
1910, in the Viennese Modernist style.
Bar Niza and 6, Plaza Porta Pintada The popular Bar
Niza (Plaza Espanya, 10) is another example of a Modernist
building. Its main door is on the corner, framed by its unbroken
volume and the glassed bow windows. The railings, exterior
and interior, are of austere design. Nearby, in the Plaza
Porta Pintada, there is a building, number 6, above the entrance
of which there are a number of anthropomorphic brackets.
Bar Cristal In Plaza Espanya, across the square from
the Edificio Niza, there is the Bar Cristal, which was designed
by Gaspar Bennazar in 1913, and shows a different way of
overcoming the problems posed by a corner. The ground floor
where the bar is preserves the philosophy and design of the
era. In this area, other buildings that are also impressive
are the Banco Comercial (Avenida Joan March i Ordinas, 7),
Can Segura (Plaza Conquesta, 3) and Villa Juana, on the corner
opposite Can Segura.
Route B
The Bullring, s'Escorxador and the Cemetery If
one wishes to follow the Ensanche route, recommended visits
include the bullring, otherwise known as the Coliseo Balear,
s'Escorxador and the Municipal Cemetery of Palma. Both the
bullring and the municipal s'Escorxador (former abattoir)
are the work of Gaspar Bennazar.
 El
The Coliseo Balear follows a historicist tendency
with
elements of the baroque repertoire
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The Coliseo Balear (1929) is a later work. However,
it can still be classified as part of the Modernist current,
in fact in the historicist tendency, inspired by features
of the Baroque. The building was perfectly resolved with
four main boxes, which are positioned in accordance with
the cardinal points of the compass. |
The varying heights of its pavilions give s'Escorxador
its principal charm
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S'Escorxador Bennazar did without ornamental
features in s'Escorxador - now converted into a cultural
centre - and created a functional building, where the
roofs, kiosk-style features, and the composition of
the main buildings are memorable.
Palma Cemetery A visit to the main cemetery
is not without interest because it is an urban
complex on a small scale. The presence of Modernist
architecture in the cemetery of Palma is significant,
in part thanks to its most important example, the
Pantheon of the Alzamora family, and other pantheons,
hypogea and niches that have a varied repertoire
of sculpted, architectural and ornamental features.
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