The design of the large eclectic-style building was the work of Virginio Muzio and Ernesto Pirovano, among the best-known architects active in Bergamo at that time.
Calling on the two architects was the Union of Catholic Social Institutions of Bergamo, which intended to build a new home for the various associations and which also financed the work through a public subscription.
The entire complex is today dedicated to the then president Niccolò Rezzara.
Since its inauguration in 1908, other activities also found a place here: a hotel, a restaurant, stores and housing, a bank, and the editorial office and printing press of L’Eco di Bergamo, the most widely read newspaper by Bergamascans.
There was also the Rubini theater hall, later converted to make way for the Pope John XXIII Convention Center.
One more thing
Virginio Muzio’s original design was completed after his death by Ernesto Pirovano, who modified the design of the facades.
Both well-known architects at the time, they worked on important interventions for Bergamo.
Suffice it to mention the heart of Città Alta where Muzio was engaged in the design of the gate that closes the Colleoni Chapel and in the arrangement of the baptistery in Piazza Duomo; while Ernesto Pirovano designed, from Scamozzi’s drawings, the realization of the facade of the Palazzo Nuovo, which with its white marble characterizes Piazza Vecchia.
Not only that, Pirovano also designed the industrial village of Crespi d’Adda, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The taste of the composition, which is described as “eclectic,” echoes elements of classical art and was often chosen at that time for institutional buildings.
On the upper floors, however, it is possible to detect floral motifs closer to the Art Nouveau style, which are distinguished from the more monumental appearance of the ground and second floors, characterized by stone cladding, bust sculptures, and three important entrance portals.