living mallorca

If you think about modernism the first thing that comes to your mind might be Barcelona, however you would be surprised to know that Mallorca offers quite a lot to those who love the style adopted by great artists such as Gaudí. It is the case of symmetric buildings Can Casasayas and Pensión Menorquina in Palma’s Plaça del Mercat (also known as Plaça Weyler), by architects Francesc Roca i Simó and Guillem Reynés. They were promoted by Josep Casasayas.

There are two buildings of the same style, one on each side of Carrer Costa de Santacília, in central Palma. Can Casasayas lies on the left, while Pensión Menorquina is right opposite. Can Casasayas was built between 1908 and 1910 and Pensión Menorquina between 1909 and 1911. Can Casasayas was designed as a four-floor apartment building for families with commercial space on the ground floor.

Both buildings are built in pure Art Nouveau or Modernist style and allow the apartments in them to benefit from lots of natural light. On the outside, the façade reminds us of Barcelona’s Casa Batlló, as the wrought iron railings in the balconies are very similar. You would be impressed by its geometric and wavy shapes, even if decoration is scarce. Windows are made of wood and loyal to the famous Mallorcan style. In fact, it has been described as a local type of Art Nouveau, due to the Mallorcan window blinds used in the buildings.