Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1488480
15 maltatoday | SUNDAY • 18 DECEMBER 2022 NEWS A new book on the legacy of architect Gustave R. Vincenti describes Palazzina Vincenti in St Julian's, threatened by plans for a 14-storey hotel, as an "architectural masterpiece." ny. One such example is an entire row of townhouses in Dingli Street built and sold by Vincenti in 1926. As the architect of his own buildings, some of which he kept for himself, Vincenti was clearly his own master, some- thing which gave him the free- dom to experiment with new styles and technology, particu- larly in the houses he designed for himself, namely the Art Deco summer house in St Ju- lian's, his residence in Harper Lane in Floriana, where he al- so sought permission to build a bomb-proof shelter, and ul- timately Palazzina Vincenti. According to Ellul, Vincen- ti "did not simply prioritise maximizing the income of a project but he also focused on good design and high-quality living." Vincenti was also an op- portunist in seeking business deals coming his way and in submitting bids on public land released by the colonial au- thorities. In fact his greatest residential and commercial project was Vincenti Build- ings, built on the site of the old bakeries in Strait Street, Val- letta, a piece of history which was demolished to enable the development of six plots leased by tender by the coloni- al government for £1,008 per annum in 1935. Knowing how difficult it was to construct the building in four years as dictated by ten- der conditions, he engineered "a mechanical pulley system" to hoist construction material up six floors. He then set a number of con- ditions on his tenants, one of which stipulated that tenants should not allow their chil- dren "to play and run about the staircases or halls" or ob- structing the "stairs or halls." The project was built over four years at the cost of £30,000, and can be consid- ered as one of the largest pri- vate projects in the first part of the twentieth century. A breakthrough towards modernism And while Vincenti's summer house in St Julian's represent- ed the "dawn of Art Nouveau" in Malta, Palazzina Vincenti represented a "breakthrough towards modernism." The salient point of the St Julian's building in which Vin- centi lived the last 25 years of life with his family, is the semi-circular cantilevered ter- race at the first floor which is the focal point of the whole composition. Ellul says Vin- centi "exploited Balluta Bay by receding the elevation to create a large terrace", and through the use of reinforced concrete this terrace freed the space underneath to give the building "lightness and open- ness". The book, which includes photos documenting the inte- rior of the house, also sheds light on the "spacious interior" which complements Vincen- ti's affluent status in Maltese society. This includes the foyer sup- ported by reinforced concrete beams spanning from all four sides of the space and the ma- jestic staircase clad in white Carrara marble found in the ground floor hall, which splits into two flights on either side. The book also includes pho- tos of an underground tunnel linking Palazzina Vincenti to a seaside pier across the road. The book also includes photos of an underground tunnel linking Palazzina Vincenti to a seaside pier across the road (shown left) and, on page 14, construction of the pier Vincenti was also an opportunist in seeking business deals coming his way and in submitting bids on public land released by the colonial authorities. In fact his greatest residential and commercial project was Vincenti Buildings, built on the site of the old bakeries in Strait Street, Valletta