LIBERTY ARCHITECTURE
in Milan


GIUSEPPE SOMMARUGA



Ermenegildo CASTIGLIONI Building
Corso Venezia, 47
Milan



Image 1

Here you can see the front of the building as drawn by the author.
"The owner of the building was a young engineer, Ermenegildo Castiglioni, who
got into a cospicious amount of money; he decided to create at the number 73
(nowadays 47) a building in memory of his name.


Image 2

The section provides the inner dynamics of the building.
The cronicles tell about a journey, made by the architect
Sommaruga toghether with Castiglioni, who went to Great Britain and
France to get in touch with the new local architectonical formula.


Image 3

The plan view describes the process trough which the project take life.
The architect, by presenting his project to the guildhall, underlines that
"The building is destined to be a dignituos abitation, and it is provided
with all the best comforts of modern times.


Image 4

Even if the image is not really good, we should be able to apprecciate the
art of tha author in drawing this images.


Image 5

The picture shows some features of the building; the back access and a view
of the inner stairway.


Photo 1

This is how the buildintg appears today; it survived to the power of the time
and to the weakness of mankind.


--
Photo 2 & 3

The second photo shows a feature of the front side of the building, the loggetta
and the window separed into three segments by the two little columns.
In the next photo you can notice the peculiar stone works that underline
the window area.


Photo 4

This last photo is aimed to show the realizative accuracy of the features that create
all together, the front of the building.


Photo 5

Zooming on some costitutives aspects of the front we realize how innovative
this building should have appeared to the ingenuous eyes of the ancient observer.




A FEATURE FROM THE FRONT OF THE BUILDING




FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Unluckly I was not allowed inside, that's the reason why there are no photographs of
the interiors.
To conclude is interesting to report a tale from the ancient chronicles:
"Opened in May, 1903, the building created a great scandal not only for the
new type of architectural language, but above all for the two feminine figures
placed on the sides of the main entrance. Such was the mess that the following
week the two figures were removed". Italian ipocrisy.......


Once concluded the little analisys of a rapresentative work of the period
considered, we should pass now to the projectual phase. See you soon.



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