Les Corts was built as a result of a long-term plan by the club president, Joan Gamper, to provide FC Barcelona with its own stadium. It replaced the Camp de la Indústria as the home of FC Barcelona. Inaugurated in 1922, the initial capacity was 20,000. The first game played at the ground was between FC Barcelona and St Mirren. On 13 May 1923, the stadium hosted the Copa del Rey final between Athletic Bilbao and CE Europa and on 21 December 1924 Les Corts hosted a game between Spain and Austria.
By the late 1940s, FC Barcelona had outgrown Les Corts. The stadium had been extended on several occasions, reaching a final capacity of 60,000. However, there was no room for further expansion and in 1950 the club began to make plans for a new stadium, the Camp Nou. The club moved to its new stadium upon its inauguration on 24 September 1957.
After the closure of Les Corts, the club began a long, ultimately successful, process to rezone the property to allow for residential and commercial use. Demolition of the old stadium began on 2 February 1966. Of the 26,990 m2 (290,500 sq ft) property, 15,300 m2 (165,000 sq ft) were then rebuilt as parks and sports facilities (basketball and hockey courts, swimming pools, etc.). Residential and commercial buildings were erected on the rest of the site.
