18
57
1857
The Catalan Tanner SA,
dedicated to the treatment of leather and tanning.
75
1875
Antoni Vila i Bruguera builds a factory dedicated to the production of woolen yarn for Ramon Gal and Joan Puigsech.
78
1878
Agustí Coll i Torné acquires the factory and expands it.
Photo by Josep Maria Co i de Triola (AFCEC).
19
00
1900
The company Juan Ribas y Cía, dedicated to the manufacture of cotton, acquires the factory
27
1927
It passed into the hands of August Ramoneda i Riu and he dedicated it to the production of starches, dextrins and glucose.
40
1940
After the bombings of the Civil War, the Ramoneda company was dissolved and,
since then, little ones
Workshops occupy some parts of the space.
80
1980
The factory is completely abandoned.
Photo by Xavier Basiana.
GET TO KNOW US
Palo Alto started in 1989 as a space where productions related to photography, design, architecture, painting, sculpture and other creative activities were held.
In 1998 it became a foundation in agreement with the Barcelona City Council, as a Centre for Cultural and Artistic Creation. This consolidated the project, giving it stability to continue with the renovations of the old factory dating back to 1857. Over the last thirty years, more than seventy professionals and companies from the world of the visual arts, communication and industries related to design – from all its aspects – have given shape and content to what is known today as Palo Alto.
Companies and people from all over the city and other places, both from the rest of Catalonia, from Spain and from a lot of countries, basically European, have participated. The link between all these initiatives and activities has been developed from the world of creativity and with a conception, a bit romantic and transgressive. Within this old factory, they have been able to find the ideal space to develop personally and professionally, turning this space into a place of reference and inspiration.
Palo Alto is home to 15 companies that generate almost 250 direct jobs. Its open, sustainable and healthy environment fosters creativity and improves well-being at work. In 29 years, more than 60 companies have moved there.
The new Palo Alto project is structured around 3 strategic axes:
1. SECTORAL REFERENCE
Develop initiatives and events, turning Palo Alto into a reference and speaker for design and creativity, guiding it towards excellence in digital creation, both locally and globally.
2. OPEN IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Palo Alto is a space open to residents of the neighborhood and all of Barcelona. A healthy space with activities for all audiences and linked to neighborhood associations.
3. SUSTAINABILITY
The complex is a true green lung in the neighborhood, a reference in biodiversity for the more than 200 plant species that occupy it, but also a benchmark in sustainable management and conservation of industrial heritage.
