AppleInsider Staff
The new Apple Store is set to open in Barcelona Centre's most expensive commercial street, Passeig de Gracia. AppleInsider reader Pere sent a picture of the under-construction storefront on Monday, and noted that Apple's latest retail creation is near Casa Batllo and Casa Mila, which are famous creations by renowned Spanish Catalan architect Antoni Gaudi.
Gaudi's buildings were particularly known for their use of stained glass, which the multi-colored Apple logo at the new store acknowledges. A sign at the under-construction storefront notes that the new Apple Store will be "custom made to fit Barcelona."
The new store on Passeig de Gracia will be Apple's second retail location in Barcelona. The first Barcelona store opened in the La Maquinista shopping district located in the outskirts of the city in 2010.
Apple often goes out of its way to match the architecture of the surrounding neighborhood with its retail stores, and will frequently set up shop in historical buildings while maintaining much of the look and feel of the original structure.
Photo courtesy AppleInsider reader Bob.
Plans for the Apple Store on Barcelona's Passeig de Gracia have been in the works since May of 2010. The new store is located in a 32,000-square-foot five-story building near the Mandarin Oriental hotel
The building dates back to the late 1800s, with Apple set to occupy a corner space that overlooks Catalunya Plaza. Earlier reports, dug up by ifoAppleStore, indicated that Apple had signed a 10-year lease for 27,000 square feet in space, including the basement and ground floor, for $5.1 million a year.
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37 Comments
Gaudi's buildings were particularly known for their use of [B]a technique known as "trencadís", that consists on breaking various ceramic tiles into pieces and recomposing them in a random way, to cover the desired area and shape[/B], which the multi-colored Apple logo at the new store acknowledges. ;) Pere (another one) Architect
I wish other retailers would do this. I hate all the old tudor-style pubs and historically relevant and well designed buildings that have been turned in to gaudy fast food outlets in the UK, especially since the smoking ban.
Look forward to visiting Barcelona one day. This store will be on the list of local attractions to take in. Hope the store is a big success. :)
Is that a temporary sign or are they going to use that permanently?
I worked in Barcelona 10 years ago for a NY company. We had trouble finding any Macs - There was a computer store in the back of town - mostly pc's but sold a limited amount and an overpriced department store that sold them. Oh how times have changed.