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The history of the current Palace Hotel in Barcelona begins in 1888, when the actors Rafael Calvo and Antonio Vico Pinto, who, taking advantage of the pull of visitors that the Universal Exhibition would produce, decided to build on a site, located on the corner of Calle Cortes. 668, a new theater.
Designed in wood by the architect Tiberio Sabater, it had a modest appearance, with a simple lobby, with an entrance on Calle Cortes and a fairly large stalls.
The entrance of the actors had been made through Lauria Street, so that they could directly access the dressing rooms and the stage without having to mix with the public.
Old party room.
It was inaugurated on June 7, 1888, with the work of The Great Galley, played by both actors, and the toy Lock up. They announced on the billboard along with the programming, the following note that today would make us laugh.
“For the convenience of the public, there will be a gardener service at the exit of the theater with the following route: Gran Vía; Paseo de Gracia; Rambla and Paseo de Colón at the price of 0.30 peseta cents and another for trams to Gracia” .
No wonder then The vanguard it was only 4 pages long.
The theater specialized in the presentation of musical pieces, basically zarzuelas and some operas “
Rafael Calvo died in 1892 and was replaced by his brother Ricardo.
Old bathroom.
Change in management and name: the Granvía Theater
On February 5, 1893, a student rally was held on the premises that caused serious disturbances (which were commented on in The vanguard Monday on pages one and two). This fact led to the end of the management as businessmen of Calvo y Vico, who ceded the management of the premises to the Spanish-Catalan Company that Antoni Tutau directed.
Tutau carried out a profound interior reform that was directed by Miquel Madorell, with the collaboration of the decorator Olivella Ràfols, the painter Ballera and the Madalena carpentry, which allowed its inauguration on Saturday, October 14 of that same year, with the name of Granvía Theater.
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Totau presented together with the actress Carlota de Mena, the drama in four acts Ferrerol and the Catalan piece La Baldirona. In the intermissions, in the break room, the Casa de Caridad band performed with the best pieces from their repertoire.
On June 21, 1907, funerals were held in memory of Calvo and Vico in the chapel held by the actors in the church of San Sebastián, which was attended by many authorities of the time.
In 1908, a new reform was carried out to adapt it to cinematographic projection “
But, the expansion of the city, the large number of cinemas and the succulent offer received by Francesc Cambó i Batlle for the acquisition of the premises caused that, in 1818, they closed their doors forever.
Hotel Ritz.
Cambó and the Ritz Hotel
Francesc Cambó i Batlle (politician and lawyer, co-founder and leader of the Regionalist League, Minister of Finance and Development with Alfonso XIII), had convinced the hotel businessman César Ritz to build one of his hotels in the premises acquired on Cortes de Barcelona.
César Ritz wanted to build a spectacular building, with a large party room and a spectacular garden with an independent entrance from the Gran Vía de las Cortes Catalanas. It was to allow the celebration of large banquets or other kinds of parties, with a capacity of 400 people.
He found that the 50,000 square spans he had acquired were insufficient, so he acquired an interior plot of 20,000 spans to carry out his initial idea.
It was inaugurated in October 1919, at the time of a general strike by chefs in the hotel and restaurant industry. “
During its time as Hotel Ritz, the most important and regal characters of the world wake passed through its dependencies.
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During the Universal Exhibition of 1929 it housed Alfonso XIII and his family. Bullfighting figures, who took advantage of its proximity to the Monumental, came out dressed in lights from their rooms. Another of the characters who resided in the hotel during the last stage of his life was the famous Xavier Cugat.
At the beginning of the war, it was requisitioned by the CNT-UGT, turning it into a soup kitchen and blood hospital for the Red Cross.
Image from 1937, when it was used as a soup kitchen during the civil war.
In 1975, it was acquired by Joan Gaspar, former president of the Barcelona Football Club. The heirs of the primitive Ritz hotel, in total disagreement with the use of the name by another company, launched a series of lawsuits so that the hotel did not use the name of their ancestor.
After several lawsuits, they managed to ban the use of its old name, converting it from then on into the current Palace Hotel Barcelona.
Door of the Ritz Hotel.
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Hola.
Soy el autor de este reportaje tengo 79 años y me ha sorprendido encontrarlo,.
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Jesús Fraiz