The Società
Filarmonica Trento building

Project of Architect Emilio Paor (1863 – 1935)

Inauguration on the 30th of May 1905

History

The building was constructed in one year and inaugurated with a concert on May 30 1905. It is composed of a basement, a floor with 8 rooms and a small apartment for the concierge; a concert hall on the first floor and two rooms for rehearsals. On the second floor three rooms and the loggia above the concert hall. Apart from some small modifications to the ground floor, the palazzo is still like the original 1905 version.

The project

The project of the Directors of the Filarmonica was not limited to the architectural part of the building but also foresaw the vital “accessories” for its use, mainly that of the grand hall: a pianoforte and an organ.
The construction reinforced the Società Filarmonica as an important institution and gave way to the rebirth of the local musical life.

The venue

As early as 1884, the Filarmonica looked for a venue which would allow the organization of concerts, the functioning of its School of Music. At the end of the 19th century, adequate space was a necessity also because the Municipality no longer allowed concerts to be held in its rooms; it also closed down the public School of Music. The then president of the Filarmonica, Carlo Chiappani, immediately started the negotiations to allow the building of a “House of Music” on a piece of land belonging to the city, in what was then called Via Alessandro Vittoria.

The local architect Emilio Paor (1863 – 1935), known for its neo-renaissance accents used in his construction and renovation projects (see those of the Saint Sacrament Church and that of the façade of the Santa Maria Maggiore Church). In 1901, Paor published a first proposal. In December 1902, the Municipality issued the building license and on March, 26 1903 the shareholders meeting of the Filarmonica approved the proposal.

In the meantime, Paor had modified the initial project, simplifying the structure of the facade, modifying the disposition of the rooms and the length of the building from 22 to 24 meters. The new cost was brought from 90.000 crowns in 1901 to 119.509 crowns.

The land and the hovels on it were bought by the Filarmonica on May 4, 1904 for 10.000 crowns. To cover the cost of the project, 51.000 crowns were funded through shares sold to the citizens, and another 60.000 crowns were financed through a loan from the local savings bank Cassa di Risparmio di Trento.