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1875-1930 The Last Beautiful Era
Paul Skallas
November 25, 2024
Barcelona has been all over the news lately. Last weekend, tens of thousands blocked downtown streets, waving signs that screamed, “Fewer apartments for investing, more homes for living.” Rent is out of control, they said, and they’re done being priced out.
The mayor, Jaume Collboni, responded: 10,000 properties are coming back to locals. “Drastic,” he called it, “but necessary. Housing is our number one problem.” He’s targeting the Airbnb licenses, over 10,000 of them, that turned homes into tourist places.
The tension is clear. Tourists and expats want in, drawn by the city’s irresistible allure. But local wages have stagnated while rents soar. The problem is Barcelona is beautiful. The architecture, the layout, the vibe, it’s magnetic.
But this beauty isn’t accidental. Like other European cities, Barcelona was fundamentally reshaped during the Beautiful Era of 1875–1930. A rare time period when cities were designed to be both functional and stunning. The Sagrada Família, the elegant Eixample grid, and countless Art Nouveau masterpieces sprang from a time when beauty wasn’t an afterthought but a civic priority.
@barcelonainfo Around the beautiful city of Barcelona...❤️ #barcelona #sightseeing #citylife #beautifuldestinations
Here’s the irony: the very beauty that once uplifted its residents has made Barcelona a victim of its own success. Foreigners aren’t just drawn by the beaches or the weather, they come for the architecture, the design, and a way of life that feels richer, more connected, and timeless.
Let’s examine this very small time period in history that brought the world so much beauty.
The Beautiful Era
Between 1875 and 1930, humanity hit a sweet spot. This was the era where traditional design, architecture, industry, and technology fused to reshape the world. Commonly called the Belle Epoque. Many people agree it is the most beautiful era in human history. Even more beautiful than the Renaissance or the Classical periods.
It wasn’t just Barcelona’s moment; cities worldwide were transformed. Vienna, Paris, and Amsterdam emerged as hubs of architectural brilliance. Nearly half of Paris was built between 1850 and 1914, and these buildings remain beloved by millions today.
The buildings were stunning like the Budapest Parliament
In America, New York’s skyline emerged: the Flatiron Building, the Chrysler Building, the Brooklyn Bridge all grand, all transformative and built within this time period. Even the Statue of Liberty, the train station, etc. It was an era of beautiful ornate details.
It wasn’t just big buildings in the city. Chicago, rebuilt after its great fire in 1871, showcased this beauty in its residential neighborhoods, with homes on Hoyne Avenue exemplifying the style.
The impact wasn’t confined to Europe and the U.S. Buenos Aires flourished, its streets lined with architecture inspired by this same wave of elegance and ingenuity.
@hythacg Documenting the built environment of Buenos Aires.
Take a look at this short list
Prague’s Municipal House (1912): Inspired by Baroque and Renaissance civic buildings with their decorative facades.
Statue of Liberty (1886): Classical Greek and Roman statuary, particularly the Colossus of Rhodes.
Chrysler Building (1930): Adapts Gothic spires and decorative elements to a modern Art Deco style.
Grand Central Terminal (1913): Draws on Beaux-Arts railway stations and Roman civic architecture.
Brooklyn Bridge (1883): Features pointed arches reminiscent of Gothic cathedrals.
Lincoln Memorial (1922): Inspired by the symmetrical columns of ancient Greek temples.
Library of Congress (1897): Echoes Baroque and Renaissance libraries with their grand, opulent designs
Union Station (1908): Modeled on Roman basilicas and Renaissance palaces with monumental arches.
It’s an era that should be studied closely. So much happened during that time period. School tends to gloss over it, they call it the gilded age or progressive age. But it really should be a cornerstone of any education on world history. It’s the era where everything changed. 1870-1930 built the foundation of our modern world, electricity, radio, cars, phones, urbanization, etc, The work became much more beautiful, not less.
1870-1930 was when the world we inhabit today was built, and yet we are told virtually nothing about it. Our cultural memory goes straight from the Civil War to the Great Depression. What means?
— Marc Andreessen 🇺🇸 (@pmarca)
4:47 AM • Nov 24, 2024
1) Why Did This Particular Era Create so Much Beauty?
2) Medieval City: The Beautiful Era mindset was about creating cities as places of beauty and pleasure. In contrast, Medieval cities prioritized survival, with high walls, narrow alleys, and chaotic layouts driven by defense and practicality, leaving them dark, cramped, and devoid of intentional beauty. Any charm they had was purely incidental
3) The Every Day Objects of The Beautiful Era: It wasn’t just buildings and cities. Even industrial goods, typewriters, sewing machines, and furniture, reflected the ornate detailing of earlier craftsmanship. This connection to tradition elevated the mundane to the artistic.
4) Why Was the Time Period that Comes After it So Ugly? Remaking a new world without a connection to the past.
Why Was This Era So Beautiful?
We tend to think that technology should change aesthetics instead of having to conform to it. Kind of like how Apple introduced a minimalist aesthetic to our spaces through a deliberate focus on simplicity, clean lines, and functionality. The Apple Store resembles most modern homes now.
But that’s a new thing. Technology didn’t change the aesthetic of our world. It had to integrate into existing patterns.
Between 1870 and 1930, the world underwent a profound transformation. The Second Industrial Revolution introduced groundbreaking technologies such as steel frames, electric lighting, and elevators. We could build things at scale never before seen in humanity.
Yet, unlike today’s tendency to break from the past, this era remained tethered to the aesthetic traditions of history. Innovation didn’t discard beauty like today; it amplified it. We decided to take beauty to another level.
This was a time when progress worked hand in hand with tradition. New materials and techniques allowed architects to scale up the patterns and motifs of earlier epochs, creating buildings and public spaces that were not only functional but breathtaking. The era’s advancements didn’t signal a departure from the Lindy design.
Wealth flowed into projects that honored history while showcasing modern capabilities. Public buildings, monuments, and urban plans were designed to inspire, blending functionality with artistry. Movements like Art Nouveau, Beaux-Arts, and Arts and Crafts drew deeply from historical motifs, adapting them for a rapidly changing world.
In contrast, modernism in the mid-20th century severed ties with history. Minimalism, dismissed ornamentation as wasteful. As Adolf Loos famously proclaimed, “Ornament is crime.” Modernism viewed history as an obstacle, while the Beautiful Era saw it as a foundation.
This divide highlights the Beautiful Era’s lasting achievement: it proved that progress and tradition could coexist, creating a world that was both innovative and timeless. It’s a lesson worth revisiting today, as we reconsider the role of beauty and tradition in an increasingly disconnected design landscape.
@exaarq 🦚 ART NOUVEAU MEXICANO Ca. 1890 - 1910 Este estilo es muy querido por la gran cantidad de elementos vegetales en las fachadas, así como el... See more
The Beautiful Era took historical patterns and amplified them with new materials and technologies.
