Bentley Hotel, Genoa: bits of history
The building in Via Corsica was erected in 1929 as headquarters for the Ilva company, Italy’s largest iron and steel manufacturer, by Giuseppe Crosa di Vergagni, a Genoese architect from a noble family, pupil of Gaetano Moretti, and also president of the Architects Union during the Fascist regime.
The intent of the Ilva society was to have a prestigious headquarters that would underscore, also in its aesthetics, the importance of the nascent state steel industry. The architect therefore produced a traditional building of elegant proportions, enriched with decorations and architectural elements typical of its Genoese setting.
The two main façades on Via Corsica and Via Ilva (the latter laid out at the time the company’s headquarters was being built) have a classic structure and take their cue from the German modernist tradition. Covered with green marble, with pilaster strips and sculpted friezes inspired by the themes of industrial labour and steel mills, they display rows of windows underscored by elements in light-coloured marble.
Genoa hasn’t had a 5-star hotel since 1985, when the Columbia di Principe closed. One of the city’s biggest shortcomings – not having a high-quality hotel catering to an elite clientele – will thus be remedied.
The renovation operation on the building in Via Corsica wasn’t invasive and retained its unitarity, restoring its original look and even eliminating transformations made in the past.
The work was carried out in keeping with the building’s architectural values, safeguarding the stylistic canons of the original period, especially for what regards the main façades, which will remain nearly unaltered. Inside, the partial filling of the inner court on the lower storeys, done during modifications made in past years to obtain new rooms, will be retained.