Cathedral or Bust

Gaudi built many buildings throughout Barcelona, but for whatever reason the Colonial Guell Crypt is one of the most acclaimed. Only the finished basement area of what should have been a massive cathedral, the Crypt Guell is impressive in its current manifestation, and probably would have been stellar had the money - and interest - not run dry. For now, it is a small chapel in a small town, attracting a few Gaudi fanatics and tourists like ourselves.

What makes it noteworthy for me, besides its obvious beauty and contribution to Catalan modernism, is the dubious talk of finishing Gaudi’s plans and completing the church. This is exactly where preservationists’ ideals begin to differ in the real world, as I learned by having a very interesting conversation with fellow traveler, Jeff Morrison.

Jeff and Brandy Morrison are two of the more interesting members of the course, both architects and the only two marrieds to share the same last name. While wandering away from the tour, Jeff played devil’s advocate to my anti-completion sentiments, an activity I find helpful in developing my own ideas – which basically amount to this…

While that original design of Gaudi would, I’m sure, inspire awe and architects, the fact remains that the design was not completed in his lifetime. No matter how many plans, details, and concepts remain of what could have been, what is is a beautiful, if small, chapel for a lovely and small town. The roof of the structure, which should have housed the floor of the grand cathedral, is now an open air patio of sorts and surrounded by vacant and undeveloped park in some areas, and a lovely pine forest in others. If it were left in my hands, the space would be further developed as what it currently is, a lovely chapel and park, and not some monstrous completion that can never actually be reproduced because the artist himself is not around to complete it. If one wants that, one can head to the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona proper.

Couple that with the desperate need of funds placed into education and – eek! the S word – social programs and I just can’t see the justification for one more modernista building to be expanded. It seems to me that the money would be better spent elsewhere. That may be blasphemy to Gaudi lovers but modern preservationists, urban planners and economists I think would agree with me.