A Villa in Asmara

The residential areas of Asmara has many buildings like this one. Modernist boxes reaching to various heights with little or no decoration. A thin line around the roof line and a single shade eyebrow encircling the entire building above the upper storey windows.

Villa, Asmara

I call this the 'Venetian' villa because of the venetian lion on the front of the building.

Cinema Roma, Asmara

According to Asmara - Africa's Secret Modernist City, the design for the Cinema Roma was originally proposed in 1937 by Roberto Cappellano under the name Cinema Dux and although originally rejected the cinema was built soon after 1937 and for a time was known as Cinema Excelsior. The Roma name was adopted later.

The authors do not go into details of alterations to the cinema in 1944 by Bruno Sciafani but the plans reproduced in the book show an enlarged front facade similar to the current building and therefore, perhaps, a larger cinema overall.

The latter plan does not include the flagpoles so they may have been added realtively recently. They are similar to the flagpole on these Shops and Apartments in Harnet Avenue.

Reference:
Asmara: Africa's Secret Modernist City- Edward Denison, Guang Yu Ren & Naigzy Gebremedhim

A Factory in Asmara

I have always thought this to be the Asmara Soap Factory but looking in Asmara - Africa's Secret Modernist City by Denison, Yu Ren and Gebremedhin I find that it is not the Soap Factory but its next door neighbour.

In any case it si a factory and it is in Asmara and it does have a spectacular three storey glass fronted tower and two square columns running from street level to the sky like two antenna.

Reference:
Asmara: Africa's Secret Modernist City - Edward Denison, Guang Yu Ren & Naigzy Gebremedhim

Shops in Asmara

Recently I posted a photo of an apartment block in Reba Anseba Street, Asmara.

These shops are also in Reba Anseba Street, perhaps demonstrating just how ubiquitous this style of Modernist building is in Asmara.

This building also features local metal work on the doors and shutters for the windows. There are two on the footpath leaning up against the wall.

Also note the simple geometric pattern of the glass panes in the window of the tower on the nearside of the building.

Apartments, Asmara

These apartments are in Ruba Anseba Street in Asmara.

They are typical of many Modernist apartments built in Asmara during the later years of Italian colonalisation prior to WWII.

I especially like what appears to be loggias or pergolas on the second floor balconies.

A Building in Asmara

There is a lot to like in this Modernist corner building in Asmara. The metal balconies are sweet and note that the two on the corner do actually wrap around the corner of the building.

I really like that the top corner of the building has been cut-out to form a roof terrace and that the higher roofline behind it is stepped.

I can't can't tell you any more about it. This is just another fabulous piece of architecture in Asmara.