Casa Navàs, Reus

The main decoration of the Market Square (Plaça del Mercadal) and the pearl of Reus Art Nouveau, the mansion known as Casa Navàs. The client of the house was Joaquim Navàs i Pepa Blasco, a textile merchant from Cabaques. In 1893, Nava bought a 17th-century house on Mercadel Square and opened a fabric shop there. In 1898, the merchant went on a long voyage to the textile centers of Europe-to Scotland, France, Germany and Belgium, where he signed contracts for the supply of fabrics. After returning to Spain, Navas established a large sales network in 16 provinces of the Iberian Peninsula. By 1901, the entrepreneur's income allowed him to think about building a house that would become a masterpiece of architecture.

Joaquin Navas was an active member of the city council and one of the organizers of the construction of the building of the Psychiatric Institute of Pere Mata, which is also a vivid example of Art Nouveau. His project was executed by the famous Barcelona architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner, so Navas immediately hired him to build his house. The entrepreneur wanted to have on the first floor of the house a shop-salon of samples of fabrics, not inferior in design to Parisian boutiques. The construction of the building was completed in 1908, and two more years were spent in luxury finishing. The customer lived in the house for only 5 years, leaving this world in 1915, and then his widow and her brother ran the business.

During the Civil War, the building was requisitioned by the worker's committee (for some reason, fighters for universal equality prefer to occupy the most luxurious premises). On March 26, 1936, an aerial bomb hit the house opposite, causing the wall to collapse, destroying half of the second floor, including the corner turret.

In 1943, the authorities returned the house to its rightful owners, its owner was the nephew of Joaquin Navas's widow, who put a lot of effort into restoring the house. Unfortunately, the corner turret was lost forever.

The building is still connected with the activities of the first owner, there is a fabric museum, where samples of textiles from different eras are presented.