Bloomsbury Square

Bloomsbury Square, originally Southampton Square, was the first such to be called a square in London. It was built on the lands of Thomas Wriothesley, fourth Earl of Southampton. The earl had plans to build on his estate as early as 1636. However, the licence was withheld, and the first building to be constructed only appeared in the last years of the Commonwealth. This building was a large mansion, which the earl had built for himself, and which John Summerson described as being "somewhat in Inigo's style," referring to Inigo Jones. 

To the south of the mansion, the earl laid out a square with building plots to the west, east and south. The plots were offered as building leases, which meant that the earl retained ownership of the land, and that building was the responsibility of the lessee. At the end of the lease period, ownership was to be resumed by the lessor, including the house which he had shared no cost in building. The incentive for the speculative builder was presumably to build a house as cheaply as he could and sell the house for a profit. The earl was not permitted to sell the land even if he had wanted to. Ancestral estates could only sold by consent of Parliament. The first lease was granted in 1661. 

The street frontage of each plot was 24 feet, but plots still had unequal sizes and rent rates according to the depth of the plot. On average, ground rents were about £6. 

Lessees could not just build whatever they wanted. Each house was to be built according to the same formula: façades of plain brick with horizontal bands at each floor level, and topped with a wooden cornice and a pitched roof with dormers. 

John Summerson, commenting in 1945, explained that one or two of the original houses remain but are so "heavily disguised under Victorian stucco as to be unrecognisable."A revised edition of that text was printed in 1978, so we may assume that the assessment is still more or less current. He was probably talking about numbers 9 to 14. The "Victorian stucco" is from 1860, and, as indicated, the façades as they appear today are completely different from the originals. There are some remaining features of the interiors that are pre-Georgian, though, such as the location of the staircases.     

However, It is numbers 5 and 6 that look the oldest. 5 Bloomsbury Square was apparently built in 1703, which is probably about right for number 6 as well. As such, they may in fact be originals but no sources I have seen confirm this definitely. The current façades are from 1744 and were by the architect Henry Flitcroft.    

The most obvious of the alterations made by Flitcroft is on the façade just around the corner facing Bloomsbury Way. It has a slightly projected bay crowned with a pediment. Other signs that the façades are not original include the stone bracketed cornice and brick parapet, stone band at first floor level, and the entrance doorways. The window sills are also in stone. Based on the description of the original, the changes on the Bloomsbury Square side appear to have been rather subtle. Im not sure if the original style had sash windows or flat gauge arches in brick or what type of brick was used. As such, the comparison is somewhat limited. The two houses have been divided into three units and are Grade II listed.

    

Number 17, at the corner of Great Russell Street is also occasionally referred to as a heavily altered original. In 1777 the house, and it seems the land as well, belonged to Sir John Rushout who made an agreement with John Nash to redevelop the house, subdivide it into two units, and construct new houses along Great Russell Street (Nos. 66-71). Nash acted as a speculator rather than architect, though the redevelopment of the interiors are mostly attributed to him. The new stucco façade with corinthian pilasters and rusticated ground floor was designed by the Adam brothers on commission. Nash failed to sell the new houses, and had to declare for bankruptcy. His first investment scheme was in other words  a financial failure.  

The building was later acquired by the Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain. The Society is responsible for the addition of an extra storey and the entrance porch, and probably the pediments over the first storey windows. In 1958, the Society gained the property as a freehold.     

Southampton House was renamed Bedford House when the estate passed via marriage to one of Thomas Wriothesly's daughters by Willam Russell, first Duke and fifth Earl of Bedford. The house was demolished in 1800, following two acts of Parliament allowing the then Duke of Bedford to redevelop the site. The residential units constructed along the new street, Bedford Place, was a project by James Burton and was completed between 1801 to 1805.   

On the eastern side of the square, all the original houses were removed to make way for Victoria House, built between 1926 and 1932. To the south lies Southampton Place, which is pretty much 18th-century, most of the houses here were done by Henry Flitcroft. 

Originally, Thomas Wriothesly also laid out some of the adjoining streets for development. Barton Street was the site of a market place. The oldest remaining buildings in this lane are from the 19th century.  

Mexico City

MEXICO CITY

Palacio de Bellas Artes (Palace of Fine Arts): This building was intended for the 100-year celebration of the Mexican War of Independence in 1910. However, a civil war erupted in that year and construction stopped in 1913. Work was finally resumed in 1932 and completed in 1934. The original architect was Adamo Boari. His design is similar to the French classical variant of Art Nouveau introduced at the Universal Exposition of 1900 in Paris. The work completed in the 1930s is in Art Deco.

This glass ceiling belongs to the lobby of the Gran Hotel Ciudad de Mexico. The hotel was built as a department store in 1899, known as Mercantile Centre. It was the first building in Mexico to use iron and concrete in its construction. One of the facades faces the city's main square, the Zocalo, and follows a strict neo-colonial design. The main facade, however, faces a separate street: Calle 16 de Septiembre.

Palacio de Correos and Torre Latino Americana: The Main Post office was inaugurated in 1907. The facade mixes Plateresque and Venetian Gothic motifs. The architect was Adamo Boari. Torre Latinoamericano was built in 1957, and used to be Mexico City's tallest building (183 m).

The two buildings on the southern side of the Zocalo are called the Federal District buildings. The building to the right was the site of the original city hall from 1532. The current building was built in 1724 and was remodelled for the centennial celebrations in 1910, but the work was only completed in 1930. The new building, on the left, was built between 1941 and 1948. 

Palacio Nacional: The National Palace measures 200 metres long and covers the whole eastern side of the Zocalo. It is the seat of the executive branch of the federal government. Some of the building material was reused from the previous Aztec palaces. The fortress-like building erected by Hernan Cortez became the palace of the viceroys, but burned to the ground in 1692. It was subsequently rebuilt with a baroque facade. Several changes have been made since, the top floor was added between 1926 and 1929.

Catedral Metropolitana & Sagrario: The cathedral is built on top of parts of the demolished Aztec Templo Mayor. The original church was erected soon after the Spanish conquest, but the current church was begun in 1573 and only completed in 1813. 

The Sacristy or Metropolitan Tabernacle was built on the north side of the Zocalo, right next to the cathedral, between 1749 and 1760 by Lorenzo Rodriguez.

The last phase of the Cathedral's construction was carried out in neo-classical style by Manuel Tolsa.

Palacio de Mineria: This building was built between 1797 and 1813, originally as headquarters for the mining industry in Mexico. The architect was Manuel Tolsa.

Alameda Central

Glorieta de Colon: The monument to Columbus was erected in 1877.

PUEBLA

The historic centre is famous for the decoration of houses in 'Talavera' glazed tiles. 

The cathedral is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception. Construction began in 1575 and the cathedral was completed in 1690. Works were interrupted between 1626 to 1640. Francisco Becerra was originally the appointed architect. Juan Gómez de Trasmonte continued the work from 1640 onwards.

Casa de Alfeñique was built in 1791 by architect Antonio de Santa Maria Inchaurregui. The name indicates the sugarcandy-like decoration. 

Barcelona

BARCELONA

Santa Maria del Mar was built in 1329-83 by architects Berenguer de Montagut and Ramon Despuig on behalf of the guilds of the Ribera quarter. The rose window was destroyed in an earthquake in 1428 and the replacement was completed in 1459-60. The north-west tower was added in 1496 but the south-east tower was only added in 1902. The first record of an earlier church on the site is from 998.  

The renaissance facade of the Palau de la Generalitat was designed by Pere Blai in 1596 and was completed around 1602. The columns flanking the main entrance are possibly ancient Roman in origin, while the statue in the niche above was created in 1860 by Andreu Aleu i Teixidor and added to the facade in 1872. The oldest parts of the building date from the early 15th century, when an existing structure was acquired for use as seat of the Catalan Parliament, the Corts Catalanes. Gothic elements are to be found in the central courtyard and the facade on the narrow street Carrer del Bisbe, which used to be the principal facade. Further work was carried out on the facades of Carrer Sant Honorat and Carrer Sant Sever in 1610-30 by Pere Ferrer and his son. Restoration work was carried out in the 19th and early 20th centuries and a neo-gothic bridge across Carrer del Bisbe was added in 1928.

The former arsenal is one of three remaining buildings of the citadel, which the Spanish king had built after the War of Spanish Succession to control the population of Barcelona. construction took place between 1716-48 under the supervision of the Flemish military engineer Joris Prosper van Verboom. It was demolished in the late 19th century to make way for the Parc de la Ciutadella, the site of the 1888 Universal Exhibition. The other remaining buildings are the parish church and governor's residence. The arsenal was converted into royal palace in 1889 and some alterations were made by architect Pere Falques, but the building was soon diverted to another purpose and extensions completed in 1915 were for a museum. It became the seat of the parliament of Catalonia in 1932, a function it regained in 1980. 

The facade of Palau de Bisbe on Placa Nova was created in 1782-84 to a design by Josep Mas i Dordal. The building is originally from the 13th century, with alterations and extensions from 1681, 1769, the beginning of the 19th century, 1909 and 1928. It is the seat of the arch-bishop of Barcelona. The building is adjacent to the remains of the principal gate to the ancient Roman city of Barcino. 

  

La Llotja was originally built in the 1380s but was remodelled in to a neo-classical facade in 1774-1802 by architects Joan Soler i Faneca and Tomas Soler i Joan Fabregas. It housed the city’s stock exchange until 1994 and the original gothic hall was formerly used as the main trading room. The building is now used by local government offices.

The principal facade of Barcelona cathedral is based on a design from the early 15th century by the French architect Charles Galters, but was only completed in 1913. The work was sponsored by the financier Miguel Girona i Agrafel and the architect Josep Oriol Mestres was appointed to the task in 1855. The facade was completed in 1898 while the central spire was finished in 1913. Work on the cathedral was originally begun in 1298 and ended in 1417, the cloister was added in 1448. The gothic church replaced a romanesque cathedral from 1058, while an even older  church was built in the 6th-7th century. A baptistery existed on the site as early as in the 4th century.  

Castell dels Tres Dragons is the popular name given to the cafe-restaurant building built in 1887-88 to design by Lluis Domenech i Montener for the 1888 Universal Exhibition. The building was delayed and only opened 4 months after the inauguration of the exhibition leading the architect to resign from the commission. The buildings on Passeig de Picasso were built in the 1870s, to a design by architect Josep Fontsere i Mestre, inspired by Rue de Rivoli in Paris and the Porxos d'en Xifre building (1836-40) at Placa de Palau.

The Arc del Triomf was built for the Universal Exhibition of 1888. It was designed by Josep Vilaseca i Casanovas, and is partly based on the Spanish mudejar style. The frieze was executed by Josep Reynes.

Passeig de Gracia is one of the city’s main avenues and probably the widest. It began as a semi-rural road from Barcelona to the formerly separate town of Gracia. Urbanisation plans began in 1821 but was disrupted and taken up again in 1827. By the beginning of the 20th century, it had become the most fashionable street in town.

This image shows a row of buildings, belonging to the city block dubbed the Illa de la Discordia, referring to the clash of styles. It includes three of the most famous Moderniste (Art Nouveau) buildings in Barcelona: Casa Batllo by Antoni Gaudi, Casa Amatller by Josep Puig I Cadafalch and Casa Lleo Morera by Lluis Domenech i Montaner. It also includes Casa Mulleras by Enric Sagnier and Casa Bonet by Marcel-li Coquillat i Llofriu.

 

The current design of Casa Lleo Morera is the result of a redesign of a house from 1864 known as Casa Rocamora. The house was remodelled in 1902-06 to a design by the architect Lluis Domenech i Montaner, who collaborated with several artists including Lluis Bru, Mario Maragliano, Eusebi Arnau, Antoni Serra i Fiter and Gaspar Homar. The other artists were responsible for the design of individual elements such as the mosaics, sculpture  ceramics and furniture. The building was restored in the 1980s, which brought back some integral elements to the design including ground floor, mezzanine and corner tempietto.

Casa Batllo, also known as Casa dels Ossos (House of Bones), is the result of a redesign of of a building from 1877. The design is one  Antoni Gaudi's most famous works and was completed in 1904-06. Josep Batllo originally intended to demolish the existing building but was dissuaded by Gaudi to keep the original structure. On the left stands Casa Amatller, redesigned by architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch in 1898-1900.  

Casa de las Punxes was completed in 1905 to a design by the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch and is located on the Avenida Diagonal. The work was completed on behalf of the Terrades sisters who wished to remodel three existing buildings into one unified design.

Casa Mila, also known as La Pedrera, was built in 1906-10 to a design by Antoni Gaudi. Some aspects of Gaudi's design had to be removed as they violated the city's building codes and height restrictions. Some aspects may also have been considered too overtly religious. The building had the city’s first underground car park while the iron work balconies were created by Josep Maria Jujol. The previous building on the site was demolished, unlike in the case of Casa Batllo where Gaudi redesigned an existing building.

Sagrada Familia seen from Carrer de Provenca. The image shows the apse and parts of the passion façade. The apse is the oldest part of the building, while the passion façade was only completed in the second half of the 20th century. The towers were completed in 1976, and sculpturing began in 1987. Decorations by Josep Maria Subirachs are very different from Gaudi’s nativity façade and is rather austere with it’s cubic and angular figures. This seems to be in accordance with Gaudi’s original wishes, and makes sense given the subject matter: the death of Christ.

The nativity façade was constructed between 1894 to 1930. It depicts the birth of Christ and symbolically faces the rising sun. As is typical of Gaudi’s style, the façade features a lot of shapes drawn from nature. Gaudi even intentioned the façade to be painted, but this is unlikely to ever happen. The Temple Expiatori de la Sagrada Familia was originally conceived as a neo-gothic project designed by Francisco de Paula del Villar. Work started in 1882 but passed to Gaudi the following year. Construction is still ongoing. Nonetheless, the church was consecrated in November 2010 and is expected to be complete by 2026 or 2028.

The Hospital de la Santa Creu i de Sant Pau was begun in 1902 according to the designs of Lluis Domenech i Montaner. The complex was completed in 1930 by his son. The combination of gardens, pavilions, colour and art was designed to have positive therapeutic effects. 

Via de Laietana is a major thoroughfare cutting through the old town in Barcelona, with Barri Gotic to the west and El Born/La Ribera and Sant Pere districts to the east. It was created between 1907 and 1926 and necessitated the demolition of a large number of houses, some of which stretched back to the middle ages. The street is named after the Laietanii, a people that inhabited the Barcelona area. The building shown in the picture was completed in 1912 to a design by Joaquim and Bonaventura Bassegoda i Amigo.

At the end of Via Laietana at Placa d'Antoni Lopes, stands the Edifici de Correus (central post office) designed by architects Josep Goday and Jaume Torres. It was built in 1926-29, after a drawn out planning process that began in 1914.

The Palau Nacional was the main building of the 1929 International Exhibition and was designed by architects Eugenio Cendoya and Enric Cata, who won a competition in 1924. The idea of crowning the Montjuic hill with a temple of art was suggested in 1909 by Manuel Vega. The decision to use the site to host an exhibition was taken in 1913 and the architect Josep Puig i Cadafalch proposed the initial plan in 1915. Construction of a domed palace to his design was begun in 1923 but by the end of the year work was suspended and Puig i Cadafalch lost the commission due to political reasons. The building has been the national art museum of Catalonia since 1934. 

Placa d'Espanya was designed in 1915 and was completed for the 1929 International Exhibition. The fountain in the centre was designed by Josep Maria Jujol and Miquel Blay. The pre-existing bullring was built in 1900 and has now been converted to a shopping centre. The Venetian tower modelled on the campanile of St. Mark's basilica in Venice marks the entrance to to the exhibition district. 

Palau Sant Jordi is an indoors sporting arena built for the 1992 Summer Olympics. It was designed by the Japanese architect Arata Isozaki and opened in 1990. The venue hosted gymnastics, handball and volleyball. It is also used for concerts and cultural activities. 

The Montjuic Communications Tower, also known as Torre Calatrava and Torre Telefonica, was designed by the architect Santiago Calatrava and built in 1989-1992. It was built to transmit the television coverage of the 1992 Summer Olympics and symbolises an athlete holding the Olympic torch.

The 154-metre tall Hotel Arts was completed in 1994 to a design by Skidmore, Owings and Merril. Unlike the nearby sculpture designed by Frank Gehry, it was not built for the 1992 Olympics. It shares the distinction as tallest building in Barcelona wit Torre Mapfre, built i 1991-92 to a design by Inigo Ortiz and Enrique de Leon. Torre Agbar is the third tallest building in the city, designed by Jean Nouvel and b720 Fermin Vazquez Arquitectos and built in 1999-2004. 

Oslo City Hall

The city hall of Oslo was built between 1931 and 1950. It is one of the most monumental buildings in the Norwegian capital, and represents several cross-currents between late historicist and early modern architecture. It is also represents one of the longest building projects in modern Norwegian history. The following page gives a rapid overview of the development.

The city administration was previously housed in a purpose-built structure at the city's oldest square (Christiania Torv). The old city hall was built in the 1640s but ceased to be used for this purpose after the Swedish siege of 1716, most likely due war damage. A new building for the purpose was selected in the vicinity of the harbour, at the corner of Rådhusgata and Dronningens gate.     

By the beginning of the 19th century, the premises were already deemed too small. However, a new city hall was given less priority than the other building projects of the day: royal palace, parliament, university, stock exchange etc. Plans for a new city hall began in 1824 but the project quickly stalled. Only in 1841 did the architect Christian Grosch deliver a proposal.

At this point, it was thought that the new building would lie approximately where the old central police station from 1866 at Møllergata is today, in the Hammersborg area. Grosch described the style as anglo-saxon or pre-gothic.

In 1862 it was decided to place the city hall next to the church of the holy trinity, not far from Grosch's proposed site. The plan came to nothing but was revived in 1894. Architect Bredo Greve won in a competition in 1897 with a renaissance-inspired proposal.

However, in 1905-06, new ideas began to emerge regarding the location. The Hammersborg idea was abandoned in favour of Vika, in tune with the emerging maritime identity of the city.  

The project finally started to materialise after 1915 when an official decision was made to to place it in Vika. At the time, it was thought it would be ready for the city's 300 year anniversary in 1924. It was also decided to use the project as an opportunity to completely rebuild this slum-ridden part of town. 

The architectural competition went through two stages, first in 1917 when initial proposals were delivered, and in 1918 when the final proposals were ready. The initial proposal by Arneberg and Poulsen entitled Vaar brought them to the final stage of the competition.

The main competitors were Bjercke and Eliassen, with a proposal called Hvelv & Bjelke. Both proposals were inspired by the recently built city hall in Stockholm. The architect of that project, as well as the architect of the city hall in Copenhagen, were present in the jury. The Stockholm city hall is still considered one of the best examples of nordic neo-baroque, one of the first self-conscious Scandinavian attempts at indigenous design. The style valued structural integrity, such as the use of exposed brick, and saw to local medieval and renaissance structures for inspiration.

Arnberg and Poulsen revised their initial proposal for the final decision in 1918 and presented an altered project entitled Dag. This is the project that officially won the commission. The new design is neo-gothic.

However, the architects had to wait 13 years before the foundation stone was laid. In the meantime, they worked on a number of revisions, in an effort to keep up with the shifting architectural trends. The basic design principles were changed multiple times, alternating between Italianate versions to the dominant late classical style of the 1920s.

     

The final version was published in 1931 and marks a radical departure though many features were still retained from previous schemes. 

Construction began in February 1933 and the building was topped out by November 1936. The scaffolding was mostly down by 1940. However, The building was not ready for use before 1950, when it was officially inaugurated.

By the start of the 1930s, functionalism became the dominant style in Oslo, and the city hall has occasionally been interpreted as belonging to that movement. However, though it is streamlined in certain respects, the finished product retains an overall historicist theme. A possible functionalist precedent is the Hilversum city hall, by Dudok, in the Netherlands.

The facade facing the harbour takes the Doge’s palace in Venice, as the main source of inspiration, though this was more evident in earlier designs. As such, it follows the tradition established by the city halls of Copenhagen and Stockholm in drawing from Italian models. Italy has one of the longest traditions in Europe of civic representation, and had developed a well-established format for city hall design by the late medieval and renaissance period.

The northern facade may have been inspired by medieval cathedrals, which gives shape to the massive twin towers. A busy thoroughfare existed in front of the southern facade until the late 1980s when the entire area was pedestrianised. 

For more information on historic Oslo, see my book, Det Tapte Kristiania. 

Chateau de Maisons

The Château de Maisons was built from around 1640 to about 1650, by the architect François Mansart for René de Longueil, who was later given the title as Marquis de Maisons. The completion of stables and the gardens took another 20 years or so.

According to a smear against Mansart, the architect razed the entire ground floor in the midst of construction, and decided to start over from scratch. The story is considered plausible given the reputation of the architect as uncompromising in his search for perfection. 

The stables, of which only a grotto now remains, were demolished in the 1830s or 1840s. The design of the stables were similar to the main building and featured a single storey decorated with doric pilasters. The central pavilion had six columns on the ground floor, and above that Corinithian pilasters under a pediment. 

The property was also greatly reduced in size during this period, as then-owner Jacques Lafitte parceled up the surrounding 300-hectare park for development. It was further reduced in size after 1877 when the painter Tilman Grommé took over ownership. The smaller 33-hectare park was subdivided and a wrought iron grille put up to mark the new boundaries of the chateau. The gateway that Mansart designed as an entrance to the greater park still exists at the end of Avenue Eglé.

The garden front is oriented to the southeast toward the Seine, while the forecourt was in the direction of the royal hunting ground of St Germain-en-Laye.

The central staircase is slightly off-centre, which allows for an uninterrupted view through the central axis of the building. The staircase hangs off the walls, with no obvious means of support. Mansart had previously experimented with this model at the Chateau de Balleroy, which he completed in 1636. 

The interior and exterior sculpture is by Jacques Sarazin and his team, which are perhaps best known for the caryatids on the clock pavilion of the Louvre courtyard.

The focal point of the forecourt and garden front is the classical frontispiece. The orders are arranged according to classical principles: Doric on the ground floor, Ionic on the first floor and Corinthian on the attic. A similar superimposition of columns was used at Chateau d'Anet, which Philibert de l'Orme built for Henri II's mistress in 1547-1552. The five part division of the facade into three pavilions (avant-corps) and two recessed sections (arriere-corps) was first introduced at the Louvre during the same period. Another important source of inspiration for Mansart was Salomon de Brosse and his Chateau de Blerancourt from 1612-19).

Low relief sculpture is used throughout the composition, but sparingly overall. It is not by dramatic effect, but by subtle variations that the building achieves its striking effect. The different panes and columns are constantly recessed and projected, yet the façade seems relatively flat, and does not appear baroque in expression. Only the flank of the outer wings are curved.