Ca’ Masieri, also known as Palazzina Masieri, is a modest but historically and architecturally significant building in the Dorsoduro sestiere of Venice, Italy, located along the Grand Canal between Palazzo Balbi and Ca’ Foscari, near Campo San Vidal. This 18th-century palazzo, originally a private residence, is renowned for its association with two architectural giants: Frank Lloyd Wright, who proposed an unbuilt design in the 1950s, and Carlo Scarpa, who redesigned its interiors between 1968 and 1983. Owned by the Angelo Masieri Foundation, it serves as a cultural and academic hub, hosting exhibitions, architecture archives, and educational programs for the Iuav University of Venice. Its Gothic facade, preserved despite modern interventions, and its layered history make it a unique landmark in Venice’s architectural narrative.
Ca’ Masieri’s origins date to the 18th century, when it was
constructed as a vernacular palazzo, likely for a merchant or minor
noble family, typical of Dorsoduro’s canal-side residences. Its early
history is sparsely documented, but its location on the Grand Canal,
opposite the Ca’ Rezzonico and near Ca’ Foscari University, suggests it
was a modest yet prestigious home, reflecting Venice’s mercantile
wealth. The palazzo’s significance emerged in the 20th century through
its association with Angelo Masieri, a young architect from Udine, and
his wife, Savina Masieri.
In 1951, Angelo Masieri, an admirer of
Frank Lloyd Wright, commissioned the American architect to design a new
residence to replace the existing palazzo, envisioning a modern home
that would honor Wright’s organic architecture principles. The Masieris
traveled to the United States in 1952 to discuss the project, but
tragedy struck when Angelo was killed in a car accident. Upon returning
to Italy, Savina Masieri requested that Wright continue the project,
transforming it into a memorial for her husband. Wright redesigned the
palazzo as a four-story residence and library for architecture students
at the Istituto Universitario di Architettura di Venezia (Iuav), to be
managed by the newly established Fondazione Angelo Masieri. The design,
exhibited in New York in May 1953, sparked an international controversy,
as Venetian traditionalists and modernists debated whether contemporary
architecture was suitable for the city’s historic fabric. City officials
rejected Wright’s proposal in 1955, citing aesthetic incompatibility
with Venice’s Gothic and Renaissance palazzi, marking a pivotal moment
in debates about preserving historic urban environments.
In 1962,
the Masieri Foundation commissioned Valeriano Pastor to propose a new
design, but it was Carlo Scarpa, appointed in 1968, who ultimately
reshaped the palazzo’s interiors while preserving its Gothic facade.
Scarpa, a Venetian architect renowned for his meticulous craftsmanship
and sensitivity to historical contexts, developed three proposals, with
the final one approved by the Municipal Council in September 1972. The
project, completed posthumously in March 1983 after Scarpa’s death in
1978, transformed Ca’ Masieri into a cultural center, blending modern
interventions with the palazzo’s historical structure. Restoration work
in 1996 further refined the building, and in spring 2024, under Iuav
rector Benno Albrecht, it reopened after significant redevelopment,
reinforcing its role as a hub for architectural study and exhibitions.
The palazzo’s history reflects Venice’s tension between preservation
and innovation, epitomized by the Wright-Scarpa saga. Its location in
Dorsoduro, a sestiere known for cultural institutions like the Gallerie
dell’Accademia and Peggy Guggenheim Collection, aligns with its academic
and artistic functions, while its Grand Canal frontage underscores its
historical prestige.
Ca’ Masieri is a small, four-story palazzo with a Gothic facade,
typical of 18th-century Venetian vernacular architecture, modified by
Scarpa’s modernist interior interventions. Its compact design and
canal-facing orientation reflect Venice’s spatial constraints and
maritime aesthetic, while Scarpa’s work introduces a dialogue between
historical and contemporary elements. Key architectural features
include:
Facade: The Grand Canal facade is a modest example of
Venetian Gothic architecture, likely featuring pointed ogival arches and
Istrian stone window frames, characteristic of smaller palazzi in
Dorsoduro. Sources describe it as a “pre-nineteenth-century building,”
suggesting a simple, functional design with a water portal (porta
d’acqua) for canal access, flanked by rectangular or arched windows. The
facade’s pointed arches and possible quatrefoil tracery align with the
gotico fiorito style, though less ornate than masterpieces like Ca’
d’Oro. The facade was preserved during Scarpa’s redesign to comply with
Venetian preservation laws, maintaining its historical appearance
despite internal changes. A metal and teak bridge, resting on Istrian
stone—the lightest in Venice—provides access from the canal, designed by
Scarpa to blend modern materials with the palazzo’s aesthetic. The
facade’s modest scale and Gothic details contrast with the grander
Renaissance and Baroque palazzi nearby, such as Ca’ Foscari, reflecting
its vernacular origins.
Structural Layout: The palazzo follows a
typical Venetian plan, with a ground floor (androne) for commercial or
storage purposes, accessible via the water portal, historically used for
goods or boat access. The piano nobile (first noble floor) housed grand
salons, likely with high ceilings and large windows for light, while
upper floors served as additional living quarters or storage. Scarpa’s
redesign reconfigured the interior into a cultural and academic space,
creating flexible rooms for exhibitions, lectures, and Iuav student
activities. The ground floor, prone to acqua alta (high tide flooding),
features Scarpa’s innovative alabaster labyrinths to channel water
aesthetically, a poetic response to Venice’s environmental challenges. A
small courtyard or light well, common in Venetian palazzi, likely
provides ventilation, though no garden is documented, unlike Palazzo
Giustinian Pesaro. The four-story structure, compact due to Venice’s
limited space, emphasizes verticality, a hallmark of Venetian
architecture.
Materials and Construction: The palazzo is built with
standard Venetian materials: brick for walls, Istrian stone for the
facade’s portal and window frames, and timber beams for floors and
ceilings. Lightweight larch or fir from the Dolomites ensures
flexibility against Venice’s shifting foundations, with wooden piles
driven into the alluvial mud supporting the structure. The facade’s
brick infill, possibly plastered, protects against canal moisture, while
Scarpa’s interiors introduce modernist materials like teak, alabaster,
and brass. His attention to detail is evident in features like Istrian
stone radiator covers with gold bands, showcasing his obsession with
craftsmanship. Scarpa’s use of water as a “bright and reflective
material” integrates the palazzo’s environmental context, with alabaster
channels managing floodwater. The facade’s preservation maintains its
Gothic integrity, while internal concrete and glass elements reflect
Scarpa’s modernist sensibility, blending old and new.
Interior:
Scarpa’s interiors, completed in 1983, are a highlight, transforming the
palazzo into a modernist masterpiece while respecting its historical
shell. The ground floor features alabaster labyrinths for floodwater, a
creative solution to acqua alta. Upper floors include exhibition spaces,
lecture rooms, and archives for the Masieri Foundation, designed with
Scarpa’s signature precision: polished concrete, teak joinery, and brass
fittings. The piano nobile likely retains high ceilings, possibly with
restored beamed or stucco finishes, adapted for academic use. Scarpa’s
reconstruction of a second chimney, justified by referencing Canaletto’s
18th-century drawings, demonstrates his historical sensitivity, winning
approval despite initial municipal resistance. No specific artworks are
documented, but the Foundation’s archive includes architectural drawings
and materials, particularly on Venice’s contemporary projects. The
interiors’ flexibility supports exhibitions, such as those by Tadao Ando
and Frank Gehry, and academic activities, making it a dynamic cultural
space.
Frank Lloyd Wright’s Unbuilt Design: Wright’s 1953 proposal,
though never realized, is a critical part of the palazzo’s narrative.
Envisioned as a four-story residence and library, it featured organic
forms, horizontal lines, and a glass-heavy facade, inspired by his
Prairie School and Usonian principles. The design included a rooftop
terrace and cantilevered elements, aiming to harmonize with Venice’s
aquatic context but clashing with the city’s Gothic and Renaissance
aesthetic. Critics deemed it too modern, sparking debates about Venice’s
preservation versus innovation, ultimately leading to its rejection.
Wright’s drawings, exhibited in New York, remain a significant
architectural artifact, studied for their bold vision and influence on
later Venetian debates about modernism.
Ca’ Masieri holds profound cultural and historical significance as a
nexus of Venetian architectural discourse, a memorial to Angelo Masieri,
and a cultural hub:
Wright-Scarpa Legacy: The palazzo’s
association with Frank Lloyd Wright and Carlo Scarpa positions it as a
battleground for Venice’s architectural identity. Wright’s unbuilt
design, rejected for its modernist audacity, sparked a 1953–1955
controversy that shaped global debates on historic preservation versus
contemporary intervention, influencing policies in cities worldwide.
Scarpa’s subsequent redesign, completed in 1983, exemplifies a sensitive
approach to blending modernism with history, using materials like
alabaster and teak to honor Venice’s craft traditions while introducing
innovative details. Scarpa’s work, praised for its “mastery of
materials” and fascination with water, reflects his Venetian roots and
Japanese influences, making Ca’ Masieri a case study in contextual
architecture.
Angelo Masieri Foundation: Established to honor Angelo
Masieri, the Foundation transformed the palazzo into a cultural and
academic center, fulfilling Savina Masieri’s vision. Since the 1960s, it
has maintained an architecture archive, now part of Iuav’s Archivio
Progetti, preserving materials on Venice’s contemporary projects. The
Foundation’s exhibitions, featuring architects like Aldo Rossi and Tadao
Ando, and its publication of Phalaris (formerly Il Giornale), a
pioneering architecture magazine, underscore its role as a cultural
powerhouse. The 2024 reopening under Benno Albrecht reinforces its
commitment to architectural innovation, hosting events like the Galleria
d’Architettura.
Dorsoduro Context: In Dorsoduro, Ca’ Masieri is part
of a sestiere renowned for cultural institutions, including Ca’ Foscari
University, the Gallerie dell’Accademia, and the Peggy Guggenheim
Collection. Its Grand Canal location, near Campo San Vidal and the
Accademia Bridge, places it in a vibrant artistic corridor,
complementing its academic and exhibition functions. The sestiere’s
intellectual and student-heavy atmosphere, with Campo Santa Margherita
as a social hub, aligns with the palazzo’s Iuav affiliation, fostering a
dynamic environment for architectural study.
Preservation vs.
Innovation: The palazzo’s history encapsulates Venice’s ongoing struggle
to balance preservation with modernity. The rejection of Wright’s design
in 1955 reflected a conservative stance, prioritizing the city’s Gothic
and Renaissance fabric, while Scarpa’s approved intervention in the
1970s marked a shift toward cautious modernism, influenced by post-1966
flood restoration efforts and UNESCO’s support. This tension remains
relevant, as seen in contemporary projects like OMA’s Fondaco dei
Tedeschi or David Chipperfield’s Procuratie Vecchie, which integrate
modern elements into historic structures.
Ca’ Masieri is owned by the Angelo Masieri Foundation and managed in
collaboration with Iuav University, functioning as a cultural and
academic center. Reopened in spring 2024 after significant
redevelopment, it hosts exhibitions, lectures, and Iuav’s architecture
programs, with spaces like the Galleria d’Architettura showcasing
contemporary design. The ground floor and piano nobile are used for
events, such as Venice Biennale exhibitions, while upper floors house
the Foundation’s archive and student facilities. Luxury apartments may
also be available, as is common in repurposed palazzi, though specific
listings are undocumented.
The facade, preserved as a Gothic
relic, is visible from the Grand Canal, best appreciated by vaporetto
(Accademia or San Tomà stops, Lines 1 and 2) or gondola. The palazzo is
not regularly open to the public, limiting access to Iuav students,
event attendees, or special tours, such as those offered by Wallpaper
for Scarpa’s works. Venetian preservation regulations, enforced by the
Superintendency of Venice, protect the facade and Scarpa’s interiors,
ensuring historical integrity despite modern uses. TripAdvisor or
similar platforms lack specific reviews, but the palazzo’s cultural role
and Scarpa’s reputation suggest high regard among architecture
enthusiasts, with a potential 4.5/5 rating for its niche appeal.
Located in Dorsoduro, near Campo San Vidal (5-minute walk from Accademia
Bridge), Ca’ Masieri benefits from proximity to cultural landmarks like
the Peggy Guggenheim Collection (7-minute walk) and Gallerie
dell’Accademia (5-minute walk), making it a stop on architectural
itineraries. Its canal-side setting and Scarpa’s interventions, like the
teak bridge and alabaster flood channels, enhance its allure, offering a
serene yet intellectually stimulating experience.