Firenze Santa Maria Novella Railway Station
The Firenze Santa Maria Novella Railway Station was constructed in 1934 by the Italian fascist government. It was designed by a group of architects known as the “Gruppo Tuscano” and was built under the constriction that it be the “most inconspicuous, the least offensive, and the least visible form possible” (Etlin 308). The authorities wished that the station not distract from the monumental architecture of Florence but also point to the “idea of the train or mechanics” (Etlin 308). What was being asked of architects, a building that is distinct and evocative but not distracting, was fulfilled by the futurist architects.
Their design, while it was accepted by the authorities, was unpopular with the Florentines. Critics derided it as “a large box” and might as well be mistaken for “two packing crates, just arrived on a flat car, which enclosed the real train station” (Etlin 310). Eventually, the opinion turned, with many praising the station for the same aspects the critics attacked it. The station was praised for its near “invisibility” (Etlin 310) and innovative design. The station, in line with Futurist ideals, “repudiated, with reason, all the decorative trinkets” (Etlin 312) of other buildings. The building also sought to communicate a “sense of moving vectors” (Etlin 310) through its low form, parallel lines, and raised stonework. The largest feature of the building, the “cascade of glass” (Etlin 310) at the front of the station, also communicates movement as it “flows” (Etlin 310) to the ground. The Firenze Santa Maria Novella Railway Station communicates Futurist ideals through its motion and rejection of traditional grandeur.
Etlin, Richard A. Modernism in Italian Architecture, 1890-1940. Cambridge, Mass., Mit Press, 1991.
Hyde, Rory. “Gruppo Toscano - Firenze Santa Maria Novella Railway Station, Florence, 1932,” Flikr, 12 Aug. 2009, www.flickr.com/photos/roryrory/8254065759/. Accessed 30 Nov. 2021.