1. Villa Zanelli Savona, Italy.
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Villa Zanelli, named after the owners, was built in 1907. A few years
later, it was handed over to the nearby city of Milan, which used the
land as a campsite. During the Second World War, the Red Cross moved in
and converted the premises to a hospital, later specialising in heart
disease. In the late nineties part of the building collapsed and put an
end to these activities, so the place was abandoned.2. Governor’s Tower, Barcelona, Spain.
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The “Governor’s Tower” is a building of eclectic architectural
features, thanks to a series of modifications made over the centuries by
the owners. Built on the outskirts of Barcelona in the 16th century, it
was originally the residence of the Governor General of Catalonia
before it was taken over from the 17th to the 19th centuries by the
counts of Santa Coloma, viceroys of Catalonia. It was then acquired by
the banker Antonio Borrell Folch. He commissioned Guitart i Lostalo, a
modernist architect, who added two square towers flanking a Gothic
bridge to the entrance. On his death Borrell bequeathed the estate to
the order of Friars of the Pious Schools, dedicated to teaching poor
children. The buildings were run as a school until the late Seventies.
As they became unfit for purpose they were put to other uses. The
Borrell Institute closed down permanently in 2000. The property was
resold but has since fallen into a state of neglect.3. Seaview Hospital, New York City, USA.
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The former Seaview sanatorium, located in Willowbrook on Staten
Island, New York, covers 130 hectares. This vast complex of thirty-seven
buildings was constructed between 1905 and 1935 in Colonial Revival
style. It was planned on a north/south axis, separating patients
according to gender. Although it was originally intended to accommodate
tuberculosis cases, the range of patients gradually diversified as
children and people with psychiatric conditions were hospitalised
there. Seaview, unequipped for modern healthcare practices, was obliged
to close down its facilities little by little. Despite designation as a
City Landmark in 1985 and inscription on the National Register of
Historic Places in 2005, Seaview Hospital is now in very poor shape.4. Castello di Sammezzano, Reggello, Italy.
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Sammezzano castle was built in the early 17th Century in the Tuscan
town of Reggello, 19 miles from Florence. Its remarkable Moorish
architecture is a succession of domes and arches in an array of colours.
In the 19th century, Marquis Ferdinando Panciatichi Ximenes d’Aragona
renovated the interior galleries and added to their general eclecticism.
On former agricultural land around the buildings, he designed a vast
park filled with exotic plants. The castle was auctioned in 1999 to be
converted into a luxury hotel complex, but later abandoned and
inevitably fell prey to passing looters.5. Castello di Sammezzano.
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6. Bulgarian Communist Party Headquarters, Buzludzha, Bulgaria.
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On a rocky peak in the Stara Planina, a range of mountains in the
Balkans, the Bulgarian Communist Party Headquarters was built over seven
years, between 1974 and 1981, with the help of more than 6,000 workers.
It featured a vast auditorium decorated with frescoes of communist
leaders and quasi-mythological scenes of heroic battles. But the
building was open for scarcely longer than it took to erect, closing in
1989 after the fall of the Soviet Union. It now stands derelict and
ravaged by the elements.7. Bulgarian Communist Party Headquarters.
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The auditorium is surrounded by a panoramic circular walkway and
topped by a 230ft-high tower. The elevated site ensured that the
building could be seen for miles around.8. Diurno Venezia, Milan, Italy.
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These public baths below the streets of Milan were built in an Art
Deco style typical of the interwar period. Besides baths, barber shops
and sundry recreational facilities, customers had a choice of services
ranging from post office and travel agency to shoe-shine boy. A central
boiler maintained a comfortable temperature. After the subway was built,
the original entrances were used as access points for the new means of
underground transport. As the layout of the baths become more confusing,
the Milanese gradually lost interest. More and more businesses left the
premises. Despite several attempts at restoration, the site is sinking
into oblivion.9. Crespi d’Adda power station, Crespi d’Adda, Italy.
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Established to supply electricity to a pioneering “workers’ village”,
the power station found itself surplus to requirements when the
village’s owners went bankrupt and its inhabitants left in the Twenties.10. Sanatorium Bourguignon Burgundy, France.
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The Sanatorium Bourguignon at Bergesserin, a commune in the Burgundy
region of eastern France, took fifteen years to build. Work stopped
during the war years 1939–1945, and was completed under contract to a
local architect, Monsieur Bidaut. The sanatorium complex consists of two
groups of buildings at right angles connected by a vast hall. These are
arranged to take account of the natural contours of the land, with
between three and six floors depending on the level. From the highest
point there is a panoramic view of the adjacent Cluny valley. At the
lower levels, the first group of buildings consists of dedicated care
units. These are criss-crossed by a succession of galleries leading to
bright and practical bedrooms. The second group hosts residents’ other
activities and has a canteen, function room and chapel, as well as
administrative and technical facilities. Everything is built from
reinforced concrete – archetypical functionalist architecture from the
post-war reconstruction period. From the 1970s onwards, healthcare had
progressed and the sanatorium only accepted convalescents, and then only
rarely, until finally all the occupants had gone.11. Aegidium Cinema, Brussels, Belgium.
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Behind the white, very regular and typically neoclassical façade, the
Aegidium covers four floors of magnificent interiors in an eclectic
style. Built in the early 20th century by the architect Guillaume
Segers, this is one of the finest features of Saint-Gilles, a district
south of Brussels city centre. Several eras merge as you cross an Art
Nouveau entrance hall to reach a Louis XV conference room or a function
room decorated in Moorish fashion, which was once converted into a
cinema by architect Leon Denis. The Aegidium has been unoccupied since
1985, so needs restoration before it can reopen its doors to the public.
The current owner, a community group, has decided to sell and a number
of investors are now interested.12. Battersea Power Station, London, England.
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The coal-fired power station in Battersea, south-west London, was
built in two stages: the first unit, completed in 1939, was overseen by
the renowned architect Giles Gilbert Scott, who gave it an Art Deco
interior. The plant took on its existing aspect when the second unit was
built in the Fifties. It was finally decommissioned in 1983. Battersea
Power Station became famous after Pink Floyd pictured it on their
“Animals” album cover. Its characteristic silhouette was also picked up
by other artists and filmmakers. The “cathedral of power” and land
around it is now the subject of an £8 billion redevelopment which will
restore the building to its former glory as well as create 3,500 new
homes, offices, shops, restaurants, a theatre, a six-acre park and a £1
billion London Underground link.13. Stella Brewery, Leuven, Belgium.
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Stella Artois beer has been brewed in Leuven since 1366. In 1708,
Sebastien Artois, master brewer, bought the “Den Hoorn” tavern and gave
this drink a real boost, creating a slightly bitter beer for the
Christmas trade. The Stella Artois brand, a blend of the founder’s name
and the word “star” (in Latin), was launched in 1926. Production is
carried out in Belgium, at the industrial brewery in Leuven.
Ever-increasing demand requires modern facilities and space. Sites
multiplied in the second half of the 20th century, as breweries were
built around the world. Leuven could no longer quench the European
continent’s thirst. Production stopped and a new modern brewery took
over, right next to its predecessor.14. Stock Exchange, Antwerp, Belgium.
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The Stock Exchange was the first to be built in Antwerp, which had
replaced Bruges as a major economic hub. The existing structure dates
from the 19th century. Rebuilt over the charred ruins of the 16th
century commodity exchange, the rectangular hall is enclosed by four
covered galleries, thus altering open and closed spaces. The decline of
the exchange coincided with that of Antwerp, as the city’s financial
centre lost its standing. In the early 2000s, a property company wanted
to convert the exchange into a luxury resort but the financial crisis
put an end to that.15. Salle Sthrau, Maubeuge, France.
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Salle Sthrau, in the Maubeuge commune of northern France, was built
in the 17th century and was originally the chapel of a Jesuit college.
The building was partly destroyed during the First World War, then
renovated in 1923 by a Monsieur Lafitte. The exterior walls and pediment
were preserved. The interior concrete and ornate wrought-iron and glass
ceiling is typical Art Deco. The venue served as a concert hall, a
ballroom and for fencing practice, as can be seen in the murals. It was
closed in 1998 for safety reasons, but the restructuring work due to be
completed by 2015 will allow Maubeuge residents to enjoy this hall
again.
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