The Association is born, first board

La Rambla was then on the road to decay. And while the upper part of the promenade maintained the air of a gentlemen's street, the lower part had become the antechamber of the "Barri Xino". When the US Navy's Sixth Fleet anchored in Barcelona, thousands of marines invaded La Rambla.

The stars and stripes flag was welcomed, but the typical photo of the young sailor with the seaman's cap, arm in arm with a decrepit representative of the world's oldest female profession, had become the "typical" image of La Rambla for international press agencies.

All of this, coupled with public transport problems -exacerbated by the incipient use of automobiles-, the decline of traditional commerce, the drowsiness of Barcelona's civic life, were causes for concern for those who loved the city and had businesses there.

It was then, at the initiative of Amadeu Bagués, a well-known jeweler and prominent figure in the city, that in 1960 a group of about ten people decided to establish the association that, in accordance with the founding statutes, was named "Association of Merchants and Neighbors of Las Ramblas de Barcelona". The founders were Josep Gaspart, Miquel Pantaleoni, Antoni Llenas, Amadeu Bagués, Baltasar Soubriet, Miquel Pintó, Francesc Malagrida, Higini Feliu, Ramon Guimerà, and Josep Fedi.

The entity's objective? To restore the prestige that La Rambla had lost.

The founders signed on May 25, 1960, the application and statutes of the proposed association, which they would subsequently submit to the civil governor, as was then required. Shortly after, with the entity approved, the promoters started holding board meetings in the first social premises they had: at number 24, main floor of Calle Rivadeneira, accessed through Plaza de Catalunya.

The board of directors was chaired by Higini Feliu, a man with an easy smile and known for his kindness.