Editing Casa Milà (section)

== Criticism and controversy ==
[[File:Casa Milà am Abend.jpg|thumb|Casa Milà at night]]
The building's unconventional style made it the subject of much criticism. It was given the nickname "La Pedrera", meaning "the quarry".<ref Name=huertas/> Casa Milà appeared in many satirical magazines. [[Joan Junceda]] presented it as a traditional "Easter cake" by means of cartoons in ''[[Patufet]]''. Joaquim Garcia made a joke about the difficulty of setting the damask wrought iron balconies in his magazine.<ref Name=huertas/> Homeowners in [[Passeig de Gracia]] became angry with Milà and ceased to greet him, arguing that the weird building by Gaudí would lower the price of land in the area.

===Administrative problems===
Casa Milà also caused some administrative problems. In December 1907 the [[City Council|City Hall]] stopped work on the building because of a pillar which occupied part of the sidewalk, not respecting the alignment of facades. Again on August 17, 1908, more problems occurred when the building surpassed the predicted height and borders of its construction site by {{convert|4000|m2|ft2}}. The Council called for a fine of 100,000 [[Spanish peseta|pesetas]] (approximately 25% of the cost of work) or for the demolition of the attic and roof. The dispute was resolved a year and a half later, December 28, 1909, when the Commission certified that it was a monumental building and thus not required to have a 'strict compliance' with the bylaws.<ref name=cronologia/>

{{Anchor|Contests}}

===Design competitions===
The owner entered La Pedrera in the annual {{interlanguage link|Barcelona Artistic Buildings Competition|ca|Concurs anual d'edificis artístics|es|Concurso anual de edificios artísticos (Barcelona)}} sponsored by the Barcelona City Council (''[[Ayuntamiento (Spain)|Ayuntament]]''). Other entries in the competition included two works by [[Enric Sagnier|Sagnier]] (Calle Mallorca 264, and one on Corsica and [[Avinguda Diagonal|Av. Diagonal]]), the {{ill|Casa Gustà|ca}} by architect {{interlanguage link|Jaume Gustà|ca|Jaume Gustà i Bondia|es|Jaume Gustà}}, and the {{ill|Casa Pérez Samanillo|ca}}, designed by {{interlanguage link|Joan Josep Hervàs|ca|Joan Josep Hervás i Arizmendi|es|Joan Josep Hervàs}}. Although the most dramatic and clear favorite was Casa Milà,{{According to whom|date=February 2017}} the jury opined that even though the facades were complete, "there's still a lot left to do before it's fully completed, finalized and in a perfect state of appreciation."{{Verify quote|type=translation|date=February 2017}}<ref name="aac-1912">{{Cite book |language=es |title=Anuari de l'Asociación de arquitectos de Cataluña |trans-title=Annual of the Catalan Architects Association |url=http://www2.coac.net/biblioteca/anuario/Anuario1912.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221009/http://www2.coac.net/biblioteca/anuario/Anuario1912.pdf |archive-date=2022-10-09 |url-status=live |year=1912 |page=28 |quote=Esta decoración policroma, á la cual se dá extraordinaria importancia en el interior del edificio, se está ejectuando actualmente; y por la parte que se ha puesto de manifiesto al Jurado, es preciso reconocer que falta muchísimo para quedar completamente ultimada y en estado de perfecta apreciación, razon por la cual puede afirmarse, con toda seguridad, que no puede considerarse dicho edificio hoy completamente terminado, segûn lo taxativamente prevenido en la base 2.ª del Programa de Concurso, ni mucho menos podía estarlo en la fecha señalada de 1910.}}</ref> The winner in 1910 was Samanillo Perez, for his building which now houses the headquarters of the [https://web.archive.org/web/20170807152135/http://guiadenoticias.net/2017/04/21/gustavo-mirabal-le-da-valor-a-la-hipica-espanola/] [https://web.archive.org/web/20170807152135/http://guiadenoticias.net/2017/04/21/gustavo-mirabal-le-da-valor-a-la-hipica-espanola/ Circulo Ecuestre].

===Design disagreements===
Gaudí's relations with Segimon deteriorated during the construction and decoration of the house. There were many disagreements between them, one example being the monumental bronze virgin del Rosario, which Gaudí wanted as the statue on the front of the building in homage to the name of the owner, that the artist Carles Mani i Roig was to sculpt. The statue was not made although the words "''Ave gratia M plena Dominus tecum''" were written at the top of the facade. Continuing disagreements led Gaudí to take Milà to court over his fees. The lawsuit was won by Gaudí in 1916, and he gave the 105,000 pesetas he won in the case to charity, stating that "the principles mattered more than money." Milà was having to pay the mortgage.<ref Name=huertas/>

After Gaudí's death in 1926, Segimon got rid of most of the furniture that Gaudí had designed and covered over parts of Gaudí's designs with new decorations in the style of [[Louis XVI]]. La Pedrera was acquired in 1986 by {{ill|Caixa Catalunya|ca||es}} and when restoration was done four years later, some of the original decorations re-emerged.<ref Name=permanyer/>

When the [[Spanish Civil War|Civil War]] broke out in July 1936, the Milàs were on vacation. Part of the building was collectivized by the [[Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia]]; the Milàs fled the area with some artwork.<ref Name=huertas/>