Antoni Rovira i Trias
Encyclopedia
Antoni Rovira i Trias was a Catalan
architect
, urban planner
and founder of several associations, among them Societat Filomàtica de Barcelona. He's known as the architect of several buildings in Barcelona, among them the markets of Barceloneta
(1873), La Concepció (1885; on career d'Aragó), El Born (1876) and Sant Antoni (1879). He's also responsible for the Passatge del Comerç (1855), Teatre Circ Barcelonès (1853) and the construction of the loggia of Palau Moja (1856) and, vital to the development of the city, the demolition of the Ciutadella
, the 18th-century military citadel.
His radial urban plan for Barcelona, under the name Le tracé d’une ville est oeuvre du temps plutôt que d’architecte rivalled with Ildefons Cerdà
's, and won the 1859 municipal contest by city council's decree, but the central Spanish government
in Madrid
favoured Cerdàs over his, and construction started the following year. Eventually, however, Cerdàs plan would remain unfulfilled. Rovira's plan, and to a large degree himself too, were long forgotten until recently, when a book was published focusing on Rovira's egalitarian approach to urban planning, and small but meaningful details he was responsible for.
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
architect
Architect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
, urban planner
Urban planner
An urban planner or city planner is a professional who works in the field of urban planning/land use planning for the purpose of optimizing the effectiveness of a community's land use and infrastructure. They formulate plans for the development and management of urban and suburban areas, typically...
and founder of several associations, among them Societat Filomàtica de Barcelona. He's known as the architect of several buildings in Barcelona, among them the markets of Barceloneta
Barceloneta
Barceloneta may refer to:*Barceloneta, Puerto Rico, municipality in Puerto Rico.*Barceloneta, Barcelona, beach and a neighborhood in the Ciutat Vella district of Barcelona, Spain**Barceloneta...
(1873), La Concepció (1885; on career d'Aragó), El Born (1876) and Sant Antoni (1879). He's also responsible for the Passatge del Comerç (1855), Teatre Circ Barcelonès (1853) and the construction of the loggia of Palau Moja (1856) and, vital to the development of the city, the demolition of the Ciutadella
Ciutadella
Ciutadella de Menorca or simply Ciutadella is a town and a municipality in the western end of Minorca, one of the Balearic Islands . The name means "citadel". It is one of the two main cities in the island, along with Maó.-History:...
, the 18th-century military citadel.
His radial urban plan for Barcelona, under the name Le tracé d’une ville est oeuvre du temps plutôt que d’architecte rivalled with Ildefons Cerdà
Ildefons Cerdà
Ildefons Cerdà i Sunyer was the progressive Catalan Spanish urban planner who designed the 19th-century "extension" of Barcelona called the Eixample.-Biography:...
's, and won the 1859 municipal contest by city council's decree, but the central Spanish government
Spanish Government
Spain is a constitutional monarchy whose government is defined by the Constitution of Spain. This was approved by a general referendum of the people of Spain in 1978...
in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
favoured Cerdàs over his, and construction started the following year. Eventually, however, Cerdàs plan would remain unfulfilled. Rovira's plan, and to a large degree himself too, were long forgotten until recently, when a book was published focusing on Rovira's egalitarian approach to urban planning, and small but meaningful details he was responsible for.