History of the old Pòsit
History of the old Pòsit
The old Pòsit located in the former Carrer Trafalgar street, now the Moll de Pescadors dock, has been a well-known establishment and an icon in the area, located in the oldest part of the Serrallo neighbourhood, where the Church of Sant Pere also stands.
Known as the Fishermen’s Centre, and located on the ground floor of the Brotherhood, its roots go back to the successive construction and extension that dates to around 1910. As early as 1929 this building became a part of the heritage of the Fishermen’s Centre, although the opening did not take place until June 1932.
The building’s ground floor was used as a café, and the first floor as a ballroom. During the Spanish Civil War, probably in 1939, the Pòsit suffered a very close impact from a bomb that damaged it. This historical fact led, that same year, to the draughting of a project to repair the Port of Tarragona’s fishermen’s maritime Pòsit building.
Between 1944 and 1945 the Pòsit School was established, hence the existence of classrooms in the building.
The symbolic clock that crowns the Pòsit building was designed in 1956 and a project was drawn up to adapt the ground floor for use as a restaurant.
For the next twenty years the Pòsit continued to play a significant and active role in the neighbourhood.
In 1984 the parts of the old Pòsit were gradually abandoned, a situation which was accelerated by the construction of a new school, leaving as the only activities the restaurant, the Retired Fishermen’s cultural centre or the place for the neighbourhood’s choir to rehearse in.
The new Fish Market was built in 2003.
The Tarragona Port Authority acquired the Pòsit at the end of 2011 with the aim of reforming it and providing a service to the neighbourhood, in order to breathe new life into the iconic building and offer social uses that would benefit the whole community.
At present this symbolic establishment, a terraced building with a ground floor, first floor and second floor, has a porch and terrace attached to its South-East facade.
The ground floor is home to the new restaurant, which also uses the porch as its dining room area. The premises are decorated in a way that respects the original structure of the building and evokes nostalgia for this spot in the Serrallo. The stairway for accessing the upper floors can be found inside.
The first floor has a large room, containing a small theatre, which formerly housed the Brotherhood’s social centre. The new renovation means that a range of different cultural activities can be carried out, with movable seating providing a capacity for about 130 people.
It is a unique place with a small stage surrounded by large stained glass windows that look onto the terrace; a place of great charm.
The second floor, which once housed three classrooms of the Serrallo’s old school, is now home to the Port of Tarragona Port City offices, where they organise activities designed to enhance the image and splendour of the historic Serrallo neighbourhood and promote events that benefit Tarragona’s Port City relationship. The second floor is also home to the large terrace situated above the porch that provides views over the Serrallo district’s brilliant waterfront.
The buildings emblematic clock reflects the hours and reminds us how the hands, which once again mark the time, have for many years been a symbol for the fishing district of Tarragona.
