This emblematic building is a historic work from 1907 that was initially built to be a passenger terminal.
Today it is the headquarters of the Port Authority and plans to restore it to convert it into a Frenchified palace to house the port’s outreach center.
Between 1903 and 1907, Julio Valdés, a civil engineer, designed an eclectic style building inspired by French casinos and palaces.
The objective was to build a rectangular building with a first floor, a first floor and four towers at each corner.
It was built to be used at the time as a passenger terminal.
From a historic 1907 building to a restored building in 2022
The terminal operated on the first floor of the building. Customs and post offices were also located there.
The “El Mundial Palace” restaurant was installed on the upper floor. The following year, the Commercial Museum of the Spanish Producers’ Union for the Promotion of Exports began operating.
In 1918 the building became the headquarters of the Junta de Obras del Puerto (Port Authority of Barcelona) until 2010 after its transfer to the World Trade Center.
Years later, renovation work began on the building to convert it into the Port of Barcelona’s information center.
The rehabilitation of the work of engineer Valdés has a cost of 11 million euros and will be carried out over 21 months.
In the midst of the works, the building with so much history is recovering all its splendor.
