Not Too Little Too Late. Unfinished Gaudí Basilica Gets Permit 137 Years Later
"La Sagrada Familia, the famous Roman Catholic Church designed by Spanish
architect Antoni Gaudí, has stood unfinished for more than a century."
"Now, 137 years after construction began, the city of Barcelona has finally issued a building licence for one of its most famous tourist attractions."
"The permit, granted on Friday, allows construction to continue with a projected completion date of 2026."
"It was a historical anomaly that La Sagrada Familia did not have a license," Janet Sanz, Barcelona's deputy mayor for Ecology, Urbanism and Mobility said.
"Work on the basilica first started in 1882. An application for a permit was submitted in 1885 with a blueprint of the plans signed by Gaudí, but the council did not respond, according to the official architecture blog of La Sagrada Familia."
"'They were working on the church in a very irregular way,' Sanz said. 'And we were very clear that, like everyone else, La Sagrada Familia should comply with the law.'"
"So three years ago, the city and La Sagrada Familia foundation started working on a plan taking into consideration current urban planning."