House in carrer de Lluís Millet, 37

House in carrer de Lluís Millet, 37 is a small Catalan Modernista residence in El Masnou, a coastal town in the Maresme region roughly 25 km northeast of Barcelona. The building is listed as a local cultural asset (Bé Cultural d'Interès Local), a municipal designation recognizing its architectural and historical value, though it is not a nationally ranked monument.

What is there to see?

The house is a single-story terraced building with a rectangular plan running parallel to Carrer de Lluís Millet. Instead of a pitched roof, it is topped with a flat, usable terrace — a feature that gave the original owners an extra outdoor living space above the house.

The north-facing main façade follows a simple symmetrical layout: two windows flank a centrally placed entrance door. That restraint puts the focus squarely on the building's most distinctive feature — the railing crowning the façade. Its sinuous, flowing lines are typical of Catalan Modernisme, combining masonry with wrought-iron work. This upper section, around the terrace balustrade, is generally considered the architectural highlight of the whole house.

For anyone interested in Modernista architecture, El Masnou rewards a slow walk. The town retains a good stock of buildings from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, when it grew into a seaside retreat favored by well-off Barcelona families. The house at number 37 fits squarely into that pattern: modest in scale, but carefully detailed by hand on the façade.

How do you get there?

El Masnou sits directly on the Barcelona–Mataró–Girona rail corridor, served by Rodalies commuter trains (line R1), making it an easy day trip from central Barcelona — about 25 to 30 minutes by train. From El Masnou station, Carrer de Lluís Millet is a short walk of around ten to fifteen minutes through the town's quiet residential streets. Drivers can reach the town via the C-32 coastal motorway.

The building is a private residence, so there is nothing to visit inside — viewing is limited to the façade from the street, and there is no on-site information point.

When is the best time to visit?

Spring and early autumn bring the mildest weather for exploring this part of El Masnou, and the lower sun angle brings out the detail of the wrought-iron balustrade nicely. Summer draws more visitors to the town overall, thanks to its beach and marina, though this rarely spills over into the quiet residential stretch around Lluís Millet.

It's worth pairing a visit with a broader walk through El Masnou's Modernista buildings — the town has several examples within easy walking distance of each other, enough to get a good sense of the local architectural style from that era in a single afternoon.

Frequently asked questions

Can you go inside the house? No — it is a private residence. Only the street-facing view of the façade and terrace railing is accessible to visitors.

Why is this building protected? It appears on the local heritage list (BCIL) for the architectural value of its façade, particularly the Modernista railing that blends masonry with decorative ironwork.

How far is it from the train station? The walk from El Masnou station typically takes ten to fifteen minutes through the town's residential streets.

Are there other Modernista buildings nearby? Yes, El Masnou has several buildings from the same period within a short distance, making it easy to plan a brief walking route around the local Modernista architecture.