Casa dell'Obelisco, Residential building in Borgo Po district, Turin, Italy.
Casa dell'Obelisco is a residential structure in the Borgo Po district featuring curved facades and horizontal relief detailing across five stories. Multiple dwelling units occupy the interior spaces, distributed throughout the different levels with careful spatial organization.
Architects Sergio Jaretti Sodano and Elio Luzi designed the structure between 1954 and 1959 during Turin's post-war rebuilding period. The project drew inspiration from international design approaches that influenced how the city's architects shaped new residential developments.
The building's name comes from the obelisk on Piazza Crimea, raised for the Kingdom of Sardinia's part in the Crimean War of 1855. Its curved, ornamented facades were read by critic Paolo Portoghesi as neoliberty, a Turin rereading of floral Liberty motifs, and the choice of litocimento for the decorative reliefs is visible from the street.
The building stands in the Borgo Crimea area, named after the nearby Piazza Crimea and its obelisk commemorating Sardinia's role in the 1855 Crimean War. The curved facades are best seen from the public street; the interior is private residential space. A 2017 restoration renewed all facades and replaced the external window frames.
The building appeared in Dario Argento's 1971 film 'The Cat o' Nine Tails', linking architecture with Italian cinema history. This film presence illustrates how Turin's residential structures contributed to the visual language of post-war thriller cinema.
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