The rebirth of the Rozes House
Rehabilitation works begin on the icon by architect Josep Antoni Coderch in Roses
BarcelonaCasa Rozes is one of the great works by architect Josep Antoni Coderch. It is also one of the most exceptional single-family homes in Catalan architecture, due to how it integrates into a cliff facing the sea at the tip of Almadrava in Roses. Its history was marked by years of abandonment, but since the end of last year, everything has been good news. The change of ownership has allowed it to be recovered, and the rehabilitation works began a few days ago. The company in charge of the works is the real estate and construction firm Procasa, according to a project by the Collgorgot studio. Since Casa Rozes is listed as a Cultural Asset of National Interest (BCIN), the main objective of the interventions is to restore it to its original appearance.
According to what ARA has learned, the works are expected to be completed by next July, and it seems that the new owner wants to open it to the public through guided tours or is even studying the possibility of offering stays there.
Coderch designed Casa Rozes commissioned by a couple of doctors from Perpignan. It is a simple construction designed for summer holidays. The previous owner, Marc Ponsatí, carried out works to live there all year round, but there came a time when he could not maintain it, and the building began to deteriorate inside and out. While the exterior of the house is practically unaltered, except for a skylight that Ponsatí covered up, the interior is more altered. Among the additions that will need to be removed are the stoneware tiles that cover the original ceramic flooring. "We have to destroy all of this, and redo these parts according to the original project," explains Mario R. Spengler, partner and director of Procasa.
In 2017, in a conversation with ARA, Marc Ponsatí pointed out that his health was delicate, that he could not take charge of the maintenance of the home, and that he had not managed to reach an agreement with the Roses City Council. Likewise, he said that he was putting it up for sale for a minimum of "seven million euros".
