Listing of the Day
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Price: €4.2 million (US$5.14 million)
This historic 19th-century townhouse sits on a quiet pedestrian-only street in the heart of Barcelona’s upscale Sant Gervasi neighborhood.
In 1997, distinguished Italian architect Tobia Scarpa completely renovated and redesigned the four-story townhouse.
"It’s on a street that is very unique for Barcelona—they call it a passatge," Stribling’s John Barbato said. "In New York, we would call it a mews. It’s a one-block-long street with a gate at each end."
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"There are very few of these types of gated streets in Barcelona," he said. "There are no cars, only walking."
Because the street, Passatge Sant Felip, is historic, changes could not be made to the 19th-century front facade of the house, Mr. Barbato said. "But everything behind the façade is Scarpa modernism."
"Scarpa is known for his stairs" and the way he "combined steel and wood and glass in a simple way that is very elegant and very detailed," Mr. Barbato said.
Mr. Scarpa transformed the entire back of the townhouse by adding 18 large windows to the rear façade, flooding the home with natural light.
A magnificent staircase connects all of the floors, which have an open floor plan and a similar layout.
Every floor is pretty much identical, Mr. Barbato said.
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"There is a large room in the front and a large room in the back," he said. "In the middle you have the bathrooms, elevator, stairs and closets. Every room could be a living room, every room could be a bedroom."
The kitchen and dining room are on the lower level.
There are luxury finishes throughout along with Venetian mosaic floors and 10-foot-tall floor-to-ceiling windows. Ceiling heights range from more than 16 feet on the main floor to almost 12 feet on the others.
"You could potentially make each floor into a separate apartment," Mr. Barbato said.
Stats
The 6,300-square-foot townhouse has four bedrooms and four full bathrooms.
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Amenities
The current owner installed an elevator, which is very respectful of Mr. Scarpia’s design, Mr. Barbato said.
There is also a beautifully designed private back garden, with a lower patio that can be accessed through the semi-basement, where the kitchen and dining room are located. A 1,300-square-foot rooftop terrace features a swimming pool.
Neighborhood Notes
"The Sant Gervasi neighborhood is very similar to New York’s Greenwich Village," Mr. Barbato said. "It was a small village that was added to the city of Barcelona over the years."
Agent: John Barbato, Stribling & Associates
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