Barcelona opens disciplinary proceedings against the archbishopric for the maintenance of a historic building

BarcelonaBarcelona is dotted with historic buildings now abandoned, and one of them is the former headquarters of the Barcelona Cooperative Union (UCB), on Comte d'Urgell Street. Owned by the Archdiocese of Barcelona, ​​this Eixample building has long been coveted by local residents, who would like to see it used by district organizations. They also complain about the building's poor state of repair. According to ARA, the City Council has opened an investigation into the owners for the "duty to conserve and maintain the roof," which contains asbestos. Municipal sources explain that in early 2025 they opened an urban planning enforcement case regarding the duty to conserve and maintain the roof, as it is a fiber cement structure containing asbestos. A case file, they point out, resulted from inspections carried out by the Licensing and Inspection Department, especially on large roofs "where the presence of asbestos is presumed due to their age and deterioration." A year after the file was opened, work to remove the asbestos has still not begun. The same sources emphasize, however, that the archdiocese has conveyed to the Eixample district "its willingness to remove the asbestos-containing elements and replace the roof with non-hazardous materials." In this regard, they have begun the process of obtaining the necessary building permit. Sources from the archdiocese explained to ARA that they have already completed the detailed project plan for replacing the asbestos roof. "Once the detailed project plan receives the certificate of suitability, it will be submitted to the City Council to obtain the corresponding building permit," they explained.

However, the situation has worsened as a result of the strong winds in Barcelona in recent days. Residents of the building explained to ARA that during the windstorm of February 12th, pieces of the asbestos cement roof were torn off, warning of the risk that the ruptured fiber cement poses to the health of the residents. They also reported that the holes in the roof could jeopardize the preservation of the building's interior. Municipal sources explained that the ongoing investigation will be expanded and the archbishopric will be asked to adopt "precautionary measures to prevent the roof from being affected by further weather events, urging them to expedite the asbestos removal."

A controversial building

The future of the former Sant Isidor parish building remains uncertain after it was revealed in August 2024 that the Hospital Clínic was abandoning its project to create a Clinical Advanced Technologies Institute (CATI) in partnership with the technology center Leitat. This revived the hopes of neighborhood and cooperative movements that they could acquire the building, constructed in 1930 to house the Barcelona Cooperative Union, the result of the merger between the El Relotge and La Dignitat cooperatives. However, the archdiocese put these expectations on hold with an email informing residents that "at present" they could not consider their request because they had "other projects and priorities regarding the future of this property." The Salvem la UCB Platform wants the building to become a space to house organizations such as the Casal de Joves (Youth Center), the castellers (human tower builders), and the Ateneu de l'Esquerra del Eixample (Left Eixample Athenaeum). They also want to preserve the theater inside, as several nearby schools have expressed interest in using it. The building should also become a memorial center about cooperativism in Catalonia, they suggest.

The building was constructed in 1930, at the height of the cooperative movement, to house the merger of the El Reloj and La Dignidad cooperatives, which had joined together under the umbrella of the Unión Cooperatista Barcelonesa (Barcelona Cooperative Union) and were experiencing continuous growth in membership. The works cost them more than 330,000 pesetas at the time—around 2,000 euros today—and the building, which would be inaugurated in 1931, was designed to house a large theater hall, steam bread ovens, a café, a library, and the offices of the different sections (athletics, chess, and Esperanto).