Carmen Thyssen is not unanimous in Barcelona. The Federation of Neighborhood Associations of Barcelona (FAVB) launched a petition to oppose the transformation project of the old Comedia cinema in the Palau Marcet into a Carmen Thyssen museum. Published at the end of August, the petition has collected more than a thousand signatures to date as well as more than forty supporters from various organizations.
The FAVB requests the complete stop of the project, the realization of economic and financial feasibility studies, as well as a plan intended to assess the impact. It also requires the organization of public consultations for this type of operation directly concerning the life of the neighborhoods.
Critics prioritize the building. The Palau Marcet, a former cinema classified as a local heritage, would see, according to the opponents, its integrity threatened by the project as it was validated. The inhabitants are not opposed to a museum, “but he cannot go against the preservation of his protected elements,” said Josep Maria Boronat, president of the Agrupación de Arquitectos para la Defensa y La Intervención en el Patrimonio Arquitectónico (AADIPA).
The associations also stress that the project does not respect the charter of the Eixample district, especially in terms of colors and height of the extensions. Other criticisms concern the private dimension of the project. The inhabitants also fear the influx of visitors: located in a sector already strongly touristy and gentrified, the museum plans to accommodate up to a million people.
The initiative dates back to December 2024, when Carmen Thyssen and Stoneweg announced the creation of a museum in the Palau Marcet. With a budget of 100 million euros for purchase and renovation, it should open in 2027. The plans include the addition of two modern blocks bearing the nine -storey building for a total area of 10,000 m², a 450 -seat auditorium, mediation spaces and boutiques occupying a quarter of the surface. The town hall approved the project on June 17 as part of the modification of the general metropolitan plan (MPGM).
The FAVB, created in 1972, militates to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of Barcelona by participating in debates on urban developments. The Federation now calls on the population and associations to join its mobilization by September 23, 2025 and does not exclude initiating legal proceedings.
