Rijeka - Krk

sie PiP for globe

unfortunately many industrial buildings are empty and lost

The skyscraper that dominates the square on the western end of the Korzo was built during the Second World War, in 1942. It was an investment by Enrico de Arbori, a returned migrant, who had migrated to the USA and became rich in the period of prohibition. A rumour spread through the city that the money invested in the construction of the skyscraper was earned by de Arbori’s father, who worked as Al Capone’s accountant. The builder believed that the investment in the residential and business tower would bring him a good profit. The project was consigned to Trieste architect, Umberto Nordio, who is the same architect who built Trieste’s University. Nordio designed a modern building, following the outlines of contemporary state art. The first six floors were dedicated to companies and institutions, and the upper eight to rich residents. De Arbori never received the returns for his investments because in the war period he was compelled to save his own life and leave the city. However, he left Rijeka its first skyscraper. rijekaheritage.org/en/kj/rijeckineboder

These round balconies belong to the building "Ulica Fiorello la Guardia 6". This street is named after Fiorello la Guardia, which was Major of New York and before for some years US-consul in Rijeka. See PiP ;-))

the back of the catholic temple Gospa Lurdska to the right, 1942-skyscraper in the background, and not to forget an orange Asterix Kebab to the left.

The popularly called Small Skyscraper was built in 1939 according to the project by a young architect Raoul Puhali, who was also the commissioner. The balconies particularly contribute to the attraction of the building, mitigating the sharp angle of the ground; they visually elongate it and with their exchange of light and shadow, they provide a special rhythm to the skyscraper. Today still in full function, it is considered as one of the jewels of Modernism in Rijeka.

built 1939 - see description under the image before, this one is in the morning light, while the photo before was taken in the evening light ;-)

The large Art Nouveau building of the Teatro Fenice dates back to 1914 and is the successor of the similar older and more modest facility. With the later building, Rijeka got an entertainment centre which included the theatre, variety shows, a casino, a concert hall, social rooms and a residential area. The large Teatro hall could host up to two thousand spectators. In addition, there is an area below, initially known as the Sala Bianca. At the time the Teatro Fenice was built, it was the largest cinema hall as well as the largest theatre building in Croatia and in the surrounding area. It was designed by architects Theodor Träxler (Otto Wagner's pupil) and Eugenio Celligoi. It was the first big European theatre with a supporting structure made of reinforced concrete. Besides its Art Nouveau elements, the Teatro offered Proto-Cubist and futuristic elements and its separated position by the railway line gave it a rather metaphysical atmosphere. It seems to be abandoned now. See especially the 3rd PiP from Art Nouveau Network!

The yellow building is the Palacio Ploech. The commissioner and owner of the grandiose palace was the Austrian mechanic Annibale Ploech (1826 – 1884), who made a fortune by working in the Torpedo Factory in Rijeka. The project was made by Giacomo Zammatti, a young architect from Trieste, who had just finished schooling in Vienna and arrived to Rijeka (1884). He built the edifice in the spirit of central European high historicism. In the right background the "Al Capone skyscraper - 1942" described before, to the left the catholic temple Gospa Lurdska (Capuchin Church of Our Lady of Lourdes). The building is a unique example of eclecticism in Rijeka, with emphasis on neo-Gothic form.

see PiP for more Brancin!