Carrer d’Argentona, 64
Ca l’Arenas is an eclectic-style building dating from the Modernist period. It was designed by the architect Emili Cabañes i Rabassa in 1899.
Jordi Arenas i Clavell, the owner of the house, bequeathed it to his hometown. He also donated to the people of Mataró his collection, comprising thousands of works of art and other objects. Following his death in 1998, Ca l’Arenas was restored by the Mataró City Council and incorporated into the Mataró Museum. Since 2006, it has housed the entirety of the museum’s art collection.
The Arenas brothers were two artists with extensive and diverse careers. Jordi, a landscape and portrait painter, remained faithful to pictorial realism throughout his life. Jaume was renowned for his work as a watercolourist. Both artists taught numerous generations of painters and are also remembered for their close involvement in the cultural life of Mataró.
The refurbishment of the building adapted the limitations of the former residence to meet new cultural requirements. The present structure retains its original façade, complemented by the addition of two new storeys and a basement level. Despite the renovation, the former courtyard has been preserved, including a decorative alcaiduz used in the traditional rainwater collection system, a characteristic feature of the courtyards found in Mataró’s historic “casas de cuerpo” (traditional terraced houses). The façade decoration combines the appearance of exposed brickwork, ornamental lintels around the entrance and windows, and English-inspired window designs. A series of shell-motif antefixes crowns the cornice. The current roof consists of a metal structure that contrasts with the historic façade.
The interior also preserves the original ground-floor layout, woodwork, translucent glass features, and hydraulic tile flooring. In addition, the Art Deco decoration of a former washroom has been restored, as has the dining room area with its original fireplace.
