The first time I discovered the Arxiu Historic de Poblenou (AHPN) it was a by mistake. I was looking for something that apparently doesn’t exist- the Centro de Cultura Industrial de Barcelona (CCIB). I had seen this website from the 22@ project which talked about it.

Asimismo, se prevé la creación del Centro de la Cultura Industrial de Barcelona, que se situará en Can Saladrigas (Roncar, 22), donde se desarrollarán un conjunto de iniciativas y dispositivos de difusión del patrimonio industria

I went to Can Saladrigas. 

And nobody had any idea but thought maybe I should check at Can Felipa. I went to Can Felipa.

And still nobody had any idea. But what I thought was a dead end took an exciting twist when, instead of the CCIB, I found something else.

I walked up three flights of steps and came upon the AHPN: a room about the size of your grandma’s kitchen, one wall shelved and stacked with fat binders and the rest occupied by a desk, a small table, and a smiling bearded guy: Jordi Fossas.

The Arxiu was started in 1974. It is a neighborhood initiative, run by volunteers. In the words of Jordi Fossas: it’s not like an institution, it’s like Podemos. That was supposed to be a joke more than a political statement and we laughed. Then Jordi got serious. “Are you a Barca fan?” No, actually that was supposed to be another joke.

I asked if there was some sort of organization of work for the volunteers and Jordi handed me an organizational chart. I was endeared to notice that only first names are used. Also, there are no lines connecting departments or suggesting a hierarchy. It looks like someone just made a bunch of text boxes and clustered names into catagories.

[Arxiu] [Atencio al Public] [Revita/Editorial] [Sortides] [Relacions Institucionals] [Web+Mail+Newsletter] [Socis] [Torre] [Tresoreria] [Recerca] [Escoles] [Coordinadora D’Entitats Poblenou] [Xarxes Socials] [Revista AAVV] [Imagen I Fotos] [Inventari Editorial]

Ok, it doesn’t just look like that, that is exactly what it is. And if you are like me, there is one category in here that has you intrigued. Torre?

From what I gather, the situation is this. City Hall owns the building. The governmental branch in charge of it is called ICUB (Instituto de Cultura de Barcelona). The ICUB put it into the hands of the MUHBA (Museo de Historia de Barcelona), but the MUHBA was busy with other things so they gave it to the AHPN to manage.

In the end, the AHPN gets 9,500 euros a year from City Hall to keep the building clean and open to the public. There is another building beside the tower called the gear room or something. The AHPN was sold that for 600 euros by the local government with a 20-year contract. That building is to be the eventual home of the Arxiu, but at the moment the process is held up by a lack of funds to complete the construction of a second floor. On the first floor is to be an exhibit space and on the third floor an auditorium area.

Back to the tower. Like I said, every year the AHPN works out a one-year contract to get that 9,500 euros. Over time, the idea is that the amount will go down as the museum project gets off the ground and can begin to pay more of the operating costs. For the moment, the project is only two years old, and it is still mostly on the ground. One of the problems is that, while the tower is open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays for guided tours, there has been no real museography effort. Originally, the museography was going to come from the MUHBA, but things have gotten stalled up at some point.

As Jordi Fossas puts it, at the moment all the explanation of the building is audio. That’s because, as you climb the steps during a tour, your guide can explain things. But what about the sound? What about the smell? What about the social and technical context of this building?

There is an exciting museography project here, but not only that. Musealizing this water tower could also be a part of other efforts to help establish a cultural facility in a neighborhood dominated by big hotels and lacking in civic spaces. The plaza surrounding the water tower should be kept in mind as the cultural potential of this space is considered.

In what ways can local constituencies get involved? What about the local neighbor associations, schools, and music venues? How can this old brick building be transformed into heritage and be equipped as a resource for the community?

Check out the AHPN website here, and consider taking a tour of the torre. Or even volunteering?