Cooperativa la Fraternidad Headquarters, Barcelona

In the western part of Carrer San Carles, which borders the Plaça del poeta Boscà to the south, there is a building built in 1917 as the headquarters of the Consumer Mutual Aid Society to sell everyday goods at affordable prices. This association was formed from residents of the Barceloneta quarter in 1879 and was named Cooperativa la Fraternidad (Cooperative Brotherhood). Soon the society began to perform educational functions, a library, a folk choir, concerts and festivals were held. The cooperative also provided social support and financial assistance to the sick and elderly. In 1910, the society purchased a dilapidated house on Carrer San Carles, intending to build a large public building in its place. Francesc Guardia i Vidal (1880-1940), the son-in-law and partner of the famous Luis Domenico y Montaner, was invited as an architect. The result of his work was a three-story house in the style of Catalan Art Nouveau, which received the name "People's House"among the residents of Barceloneta. The lower floor was occupied by a shop with a commercial warehouse, on the second floor there was a cafe with a dance hall, where cultural events were held during the holidays with free treats. The third floor was a large auditorium with a stage for theatrical performances, while the upper floor housed a library, a conference room and offices of the cooperative administration.

The building has many characteristic Art Nouveau elements: arched windows, stepped cornices, stucco decorations depicting vegetation, shaped cast-iron balcony grilles.

The third-floor balcony is decorated with a sculpture depicting two reclining women and between them the coat of arms of the cooperative: two intertwined hands in a triangle.

At the same level, on the corners, you can see bas-reliefs with the number 1879, the year of the cooperative's foundation.

In the sixties of the twentieth century, the cooperative lost its importance for the residents of Barceloneta and was liquidated in 1974. The library collection was transferred to the Arus Public Library (La Biblioteca Pública Arús). The building was empty for a long time, only on the first floor there was a branch of La Caixa bank. In 2001, the building was renovated and the municipal library (La Biblioteca Barceloneta) was opened. The People's House is once again the center of the neighborhood's social life - there is a cozy cafe and dance hall, and the library offers an interesting collection of unique documents and other rarities related to the history of the Barceloneta area.