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FORGOTTEN ARCHITECTURE

@forgotten__architecture

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a space to explore less known 20th century architecture all over the world 🩻🎪🦪
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Over the past few days, I’ve realised that the dark uncertainty about the future weighing on my heart is shared by millions.

How did we get here? A housing crisis that makes it increasingly difficult for younger generations to imagine a future, let alone build a life together. A widening divide between social classes. And the responsibility architecture and urban planning bear for these inequalities.

Once again, young people are leading the way, reminding us what democracy means and how it must be defended.

When I decided to specialise in the history of architecture of the second half of the twentieth century, it was precisely because I wanted to understand how architecture responded to the social and political struggles of its time. Today, I’m more grateful than ever to have made that choice. Studying history is not simply about preserving memory, but about learning from the past and applying its lessons to the present.

These projects recall moments when students and communities challenged institutions and reclaimed the spaces they inhabited.

Architecture has never been neutral. Neither is the right to housing.

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1. Occupation of the XIV Triennale, Milan, 1968. Photo: Fot. Ancillotti / Triennale Milano.
2. People’s Park, Berkeley, 1969. Photo: The Bancroft Library, UC Berkeley.
3. Büro für Stadtsanierung und soziale Arbeit, West Berlin, 1969–70. Photo: FHXB Museum.
4. Maison populaire, Villeneuve-la-Garenne, 1970. Photo: Michel Quétin / Beaux-Arts de Paris.
5. José Miguel de Prada Poole, Ciudad Instantánea, Ibiza, 1971. Photo: José Miguel de Prada Poole.
6. Campamento Nueva Habana, Bus-Aula, Santiago, 1971. Photo: credit to be confirmed.
7. Riccardo Dalisi, Rione Traiano, Naples, 1971–74. Photo: Archivio Riccardo Dalisi.
8. Cal Poly, Poly Canyon / Temporary Utopias, California, 1960s–90s. Photo: Cal Poly University Archives. by @forgotten__architecture

Really need to go back to Japan :‘) it’s been 10 years since my last visit

Anyway, this is the fantastic Gion Ishi Bar, designed by Hiroaki Misawa in 1969. The building has been remarkably well preserved, and it’s fascinating to see the influence of Le Corbusier, perhaps mixed with a touch of 1950s British architecture, in Japan’s post-Metabolist era. That said, I have no idea whether Misawa designed any other buildings. Has anyone come across any of his other projects?

Thanks to @phdonohue for introducing me to this gem and, as always, for the fantastic photos. by @forgotten__architecture

Our collaborative series on Forgotten Architecture continues, this time in collaboration with @herspace_agenda a platform dedicated to promoting women in design and architecture, curated by Mara Bragagnolo @maragold

Ada Bursi was one of Italy’s first women architects. After graduating in 1938, she became the first woman to join the Turin Order of Architects in 1940.

Much of her career was devoted to public projects for the Municipality of Turin, including schools, social housing and urban developments. Alongside this work, she designed residential buildings that reflected her thoughtful approach to materials, interiors and everyday life.

Bursi described this philosophy as “democratic luxury” - an architecture that could be generous and carefully crafted while remaining accessible.

Via Milazzo 5, where Bursi herself lived until the early 1990s, brings this vision to life. Here, luxury lies in the details: delicate red mosaic lines running along the stairwell walls, curved mahogany panels in the entrance, custom-made furnishings and a carefully considered palette of colours. Together, these elements create a distinctive character that feels both expressive and understated.

Today, the building stands as a quiet testament to an architect whose contribution to twentieth-century Italian architecture is only now beginning to receive the recognition it deserves.

Photo credits: Mara Bragagnolo + ASPoliTo - Archivio Storico del Politecnico di Torino (Le Prime exhibition) by @forgotten__architecture

During my days in NYC, I finally got to visit some of the buildings designed by Costas Machlouzarides, a Cypriot architect about whom almost nothing seems to be known, apart from one pretty crazy story about his private life 👼

A few years ago, after I posted one of his buildings on Forgotten Architecture, I received an email from a woman whose mother had recently discovered, through a DNA test, that Machlouzarides was actually her biological father. Her grandmother had worked in the same building as Costas, was married, and was eleven years older than him. Her daughter was born in 1962 and never met him, although there are reasons to believe that Costas knew about her existence: his name appeared in her mother’s address book.

That discovery started another kind of research alongside the architectural one: relatives found through AncestryDNA, archives, old articles, scattered traces of his life, but, incredibly, not even a photograph of him.

Seeing his buildings in person made me want to understand much more about who he was and to reconstruct his work properly. I really hope to be back in New York soon to do some research on him.
So, if anyone knows anything about Costas Machlouzarides, photographs, documents, contacts, memories, absolutely any lead - please DM me!

in order: Greater Refuge Temple, Harlem, NYC, 1966; Photo credits: Mark Wickens + Greater Refuge Temple. Church of the Crucifixion, Harlem, NYC, 1965-67; Photo credits: Owen Davies; The Calhoun School, NYC, 1973-75; Photo credits: Calohun School Archive by @forgotten__architecture

This summer I spent two beautiful days at what was once Casa Lorenzin in Abano Terme, designed by Afra and Tobia Scarpa in 1976. Today it has become a wonderful agriturismo, @cortedacqua , run by the family who once lived and grew up in the house.

I won’t even start on the original furniture inside, much of it designed by the Scarpa couple themselves. What I loved most, though, was the treatment of the surfaces: the vertical ribbing across the house and the barchessa, contrasted with diagonal patterns elsewhere. Such a simple gesture, but incredibly powerful.

Do yourself a favour and go stay there :)

The historical photographs are by Aldo Ballo and were published in Casa Vogue in December 1981. The recent ones are mine — which is probably obvious. Grazie mille Valentina!🍃🌱 by @forgotten__architecture

So this is the synagogue I posted yesterday! Designed by William N. Breger in 1967, in New York City. It seems like a late example of New Brutalism, and it’s interesting to see how London architects and thinkers influenced American ones at the time. The bowing façade seems to recall the shape of a stomach, and I’m actually writing about a style that emerged in the UK in the late 1950s and was inspired by the human intestinal system. Credits: Robert Galbraith, posted first by @windowless.architecture thank you @docomomous for make me discover this and @hemmma for the tip! by @forgotten__architecture

The other day at the zoo I discovered that there’s a pavilion designed by Hugh Casson between 1962 and 1965. It was originally the Elephant Pavilion, but it’s now called the “Casson Pavilion” and is home to some rather unfortunate warthogs.
Anyway, I found it really interesting. Casson was head of the architectural team that designed the Festival of Britain in 1951.
At the time, Casson was a strong advocate of New Empiricism and of an English tradition closely connected to Scandinavian architecture. Here, though, you can see a shift towards New Brutalism - a direction they had previously rejected, but which they ultimately ended up embracing 🐘 The photos and plans are from the RIBA in London. by @forgotten__architecture

Giulio Minoletti, Swimming Pool at Villa Tagliabue, Monza, 1950–51 🐬 Designed in the park of the Tagliabue family’s villa, Minoletti’s forty-metre pool transformed domestic leisure into a carefully staged environment. Its irregular, lake-like basin was lined with blue glass mosaic and completed by a sculptural diving board, an underwater artwork by Antonia Tomasini, and a sunken dance floor whose portholes opened directly onto the water.
I have recently discovered that Lucio Fontana’s 3.5-metre red-glazed ceramic “Dolphin”, installed for the pool’s inauguration in 1951, was removed in 2015 and sent to Austria for auction. After a decade-long legal dispute, Italy’s Council of State ruled that the sculpture was an integral architectural element of the complex. On 21 April 2026, the “Dolphin” was finally returned to the pool. Photo credits: Archivio Storico Comunale, Monza; Fondo Giulio Minoletti. Università della Svizzera Italiana, Fondazione Archivio del Moderno, Mendrisio. by @forgotten__architecture

Wien! 🎼🎙️🎚️Built between 1935 and 1939, the Funkhaus was conceived as one of Europe’s most advanced broadcasting centres. Designed by architect Clemens Holzmeister, its purpose-built studios, exceptional acoustics and monumental yet restrained architecture made it the heart of Austrian radio broadcasting for decades.

More than a technical facility, the Funkhaus became a cultural landmark where music, journalism and public life converged, preserving countless voices and performances throughout the 20th century.

After years of uncertainty, this remarkable building is entering a new chapter. @bwm_architekten will lead its careful restoration and adaptive reuse, transforming it into a vibrant mixed-use destination while preserving the character that has made the Funkhaus an enduring icon of Vienna’s architectural and cultural heritage. Photo credits: Funkhaus; BWM Designers & Architects - Jamie McGregor Smith. #forgottenarchitecture #wien #funkhaus by @forgotten__architecture

Happy to launch this new collaborative series on Forgotten Architecture, built together with our community ❤️

Today’s contribution comes from Angelika Lee (@lika.lee lee):

Otar Kalandarishvili and Gizo Potskhishvili, Republic Square – “Andropov’s Ears,” Tbilisi, Georgia, 1983 (demolished in 2005).

Built in 1983, the monumental concrete arches served as a ceremonial tribune for Soviet parades and official speeches. Although inspired by the city’s thermal springs, locals quickly nicknamed the structure “Andropov’s Ears” 👂 after Soviet leader Yuri Andropov, turning it into an ironic reference to KGB surveillance.
A bust of Vladimir Lenin stood beneath the arches until the early 1990s. The monument was demolished in 2005 as part of Georgia’s campaign to remove Soviet symbols from public space. Today, it survives only in photographs and memory—a reminder of how ordinary people can reclaim monuments through irony.
Photo credits: Frédéric Chaunin, CCCP: Cosmic Communist Constructions Photographed, 2011; Pastvu.com. by @forgotten__architecture

After 20 years of silence, Cinema Altino reopened its doors for a special two-day public opening before restoration works begin.
Designed by Quirino De Giorgio between 1946 and 1951, the building is one of the most significant examples of Italian Futurist architecture. Conceived as more than just a cinema, it brought together architecture, art, and public life in a single space, becoming the first multiplex cinema in the Padua area.
Among its most remarkable features is the foyer, illuminated by a large glass façade and decorated with a monumental graffito by Amleto Sartori, envisioned as a welcoming urban living room for the city.
Today, Cinema Altino is preparing for a new chapter. Through an ambitious restoration project, this historic landmark will become the future home of Fondazione Carraro, creating a new destination for art, culture, and community in the heart of Padua. Photo Credits: MART Rovereto Archivio; fondo Quirino De Giorgio; Matteo de Mayda by @forgotten__architecture