Txell Jubany, cultural manager: “La Rotonda cannot leave you indifferent”
Cultural manager Txell Jubany (Mataró, 1973), from Espais amb Història, an expert in dissemination and activation of architectural heritage, has worked on creating content to publicize the rehabilitation of La Rotonda, provided commentary for the press visit that the modernist icon received last July, and enlightened the nearly 6,000 attendees at the open house days that the emblematic Andreu tower hosted at the end of October.
She has a Law degree from the Abat Oliba CEU University, a postgraduate degree in Copyright and Intellectual Property from the UPF, and a master's in Cultural Management from the UB. She has been a copyright management technician at CEDRO, project coordinator at the Cultura i Comerç cooperative, responsible for member services and communication at the Association of Cultural Management Professionals of Catalonia, and a collaborator at Cases Singulars.
What role do you think the building of La Rotonda plays in the collective memory?
After the lengthy process of recovery and rehabilitation of the building, La Rotonda once again becomes part of the collective memory of the Sant Gervasi neighborhood and Barcelona as an architectural and historical legacy of the splendid 19th-century Barcelona. The new image of the building, which recovers much of the original facades and temple, will once again be an icon of the neighborhood and a tourist attraction for visitors.
What has your collaboration on the rehabilitation project consisted of?
In updating and expanding the information sources and documentary collection that Grupo Núñez y Navarro has regarding the history and origins of the building from the early 20th century to the present.
If you had to highlight three milestones resulting from the building's restoration, what would they be?
Firstly, La Rotonda will become a heritage icon of the neighborhood that attracts the attention of both Barcelona locals and tourists. It should also be noted that after the restoration process, the Andreu tower will come to life with new commercial uses and companies that value the fact of settling in a building with so much history. And finally, anyone interested will be able to consult the transformation of such an emblematic place on the rehabilitation website of Núñez y Navarro.
What do you think the recovery of this heritage means for Barcelona?
Primarily, to enhance the value of the typically modernist applied arts, reflected in the facades and in the small temple with the recovered mosaics that the artist Lluís Bru created in his day.
The beautification of Avenida del Tibidabo and Paseo de Sant Gervasi streets is also noteworthy, as they once again mark the boundaries of the Eixample district, at the foot of the Tibidabo mountain. They are the gateway to Tibidabo and the city.
What makes this building special?
Primarily, its location, as I have mentioned before, on a strategic block at the beginning of the 20th century, marking the boundary of the Eixample district and serving as the gateway to the upper part of the city. It's like a large lookout.
The artistic and artisanal work of the facades and the small temple, with its distinctly modernist style and recently restored, also undoubtedly makes it special.
What impact do you think people feel when they see the building again after its restoration?
I think it can't leave you indifferent. The image you get of the chamfered corner of La Rotonda and its small temple, just as you go up the stairs of the FGC at Kennedy Square, is photographically spectacular. The majesty of the dome and the shine of the ceramics cannot go unnoticed.
What do you think will be the role of the building?
After the various uses that La Rotonda has had throughout its history, which unfortunately led to the loss of the original architectural elements of its interiors, it will soon become a key piece of the neighborhood. Its offices, commercial premises, and parking lots expand the existing offer and invigorate the surroundings.
