Casa Botines
Copyright © Gaudí & Barcelona Club

One of only three Gaudí buildings outside of Catalonia, Casa Botines, more formally known as Casa Fernández y Andrés, is located in León. This neo-gothic, granite building consists of four floors divided into apartments plus a basement and attic, an inclined slate roof with six skylights, and four corner towers. A trench around two sides of the building allows more light and air into the basement.

The windows on all four sides of Casa Botines are identical. They decrease in size as they go up the building, in order to distinguish between the floors and better distribute light on the upper floors. Exterior moldings further differentiate between the floors and emphasize the width of the building.

The construction of Casa Botines took only 10 months, despite Gaudí's troublesome relationship with the people of León. Some local engineers did not approve of Gaudí's use of continuous lintels for the foundation - they considered sunken piles the best foundation for the region. When their objections led to rumors that the house was going to fall down, Gaudí asked them for a technical report. The engineers were unable to come up with anything, and were thus silenced. Today, Gaudí's foundation still appears perfect - not a single crack, no sign of differential settling.

To view a design sketch for Casa Botines, check out Antoni Gaudí - Master Architect by Juan Bassegoda Nonell (Compare Prices).

Life and Works of Antoni Gaudí

Architecture in Spain