Francesc Daniel Molina i Casamajó

• Name — Francesc Daniel Molina i Casamajó • Birthplace — Vic • Died — 1867 • Place of death — Barcelona • Other Names — Francisco Daniel Molina • Education — Escola de la Llotja, Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando • Occupation — Architect • Notable Works — Royal Square (Barcelona)

He was born in the city of Vic, Barcelona Province, in 1812. He completed his early studies at Escola de la Llotja, an art and design school in Barcelona. In 1843, he graduated from the Real Academia de Bellas Artes de San Fernando in Madrid. And then, in 1850, he was elected fellow of the Reial Acadèmia Catalana de Belles Arts de Sant Jordi. • Illustration — Plaça del Duc de Medinaceli In 1851, he designed the Plaça del Duc de Medinaceli square in Barcelona. The following year, he built the Santuari de la Mare de Déu de la Misericòrdia church in the municipality of Canet de Mar. • Illustration — Santuari de la Misericòrdia de Canet de Mar Furthermore, in 1852, he was commissioned to design a monument to the memory of Minister of War Francisco Bernaldo de Quirós, Marquis of Campo Sagrado. The monument was completed in 1856 and it is known as the Font del Geni Català, a historic fountain built in the neoclassical style and located in the Pla de Palau square in Barcelona. • Illustration — Font del Geni Català But Molina's most important project was that of the Royal Square in Barcelona (1848–1859). It is considered the traditional Spanish main square, with its Elizabethan-style façades and arcaded ground floor, in the same style as the façade of the Teatre Principal, after his restoration following a fire in 1845. He served as the council architect of Barcelona in 1855, succeeding Josep Mas i Vila. He worked on the coat of arms on the pediment of the neo-Gothic façade of Barcelona City Hall, as well as the Saló de la Reina Regent, which was finished in 1860. In 1865, influenced by the Cerdà Plan for Barcelona, he drafted an urban renewal plan for Sabadell, but it fell through.