Seventy years ago, a high-profile competition divided the country over how the bombed Royal Opera House should look once it was rebuilt.

The competition was marred by the sudden death of a shortlisted participant and a boycott by local architects, but a winner was ultimately chosen, and parliament approved funds for the reconstruction of the theatre.

Giorgio Borg Olivier signed the final seal of approval and Marcello Zavellani-Rossi, in partnership with Alziro Bergonzo, was commissioned to start the project, which would have seen the main entrance of the opera house turned 90⁰ to face Freedom Square.

The rebuilding of the opera house was estimated to cost £1.25 million, but construction never took off, as the Labour Party was elected to government and the administration believed the budgeted funds should be invested in social welfare instead.

There have been other attempts to revive the opera house since then, but the site remained in limbo for decades, and it was not until 2013 that the site was turned into an open-air theatre. 

For Conrad Thake, architect, urban planner and architectural historian, the 1953 competition was a very interesting, high-profile experiment.

“Historically, we were very lucky to have seven design schemes drawn up by high-profile European architects. But while the modernist proposals were the most popular among local architects, a substantial part of the population wanted a replica of the bombed theatre.

“Sentiments were running high: nostalgia is a very strong driver for people to reconnect with what they have lost.

“I think the Royal Opera House story is a tragic and a beautiful one at the same time.”

Boycott by local architects

Designed by the English architect Edward Middleton Barry and built in the 1860s, the Royal Opera House was bombed in April 1942 by the German Luftwaffe.

The iconic theatre was severely damaged: the structure was completely roofless and considerable parts had been destroyed. However, it was not a total loss, and the much-loved building could be salvaged.

Following the end of hostilities, German prisoners of war in Malta suggested rebuilding it at a nominal fee, but the offer was not taken up.

A few years later, a government led by Borg Olivier launched an international competition. However, there was one stumbling block for Maltese architects.

It was decided that the shortlisted architects for the competition were going to be hand-picked and would include one local architect selected through a preliminary competition.

“The idea that Maltese architects had to qualify to be able to participate in a final round almost seemed to imply they were second-rate architects,” Thake said.

“Back then, the president of the Kamra tal-Periti (Chamber of Architects) was Oliviero Borg Olivier, the prime minister’s cousin. The two reportedly had a heated phone conversation over the matter, and the local architects ultimately boycotted the competition.”

Who were the shortlisted architects?

The shortlisted architects included two prominent Italians: Marcello Piacentini, who submitted a scheme in collaboration with Vittorio Ballio Morpurgo, and Marcello Zavellani-Rossi who presented a design together with Alziro Bergonzo.

Piacentini represented the conservative wing of Italian architecture during the Fascist period and was the architect behind the masterplan for the Sapienza Università di Roma.

Zavellani Rossi and Bergonzo were also known for their ardent Mussolini-era rationalist architecture.

The third submission was by French modernist Auguste Perret, considered the father of reinforced concrete, while the fourth was submitted by Austrian Erich Boltenstern, one of the architects behind the rebuilding of the Vienna Opera House.

Perret died during the competition, however, his incomplete classical modern interpretation of the Opera House was still submitted with the final schemes. 

The remaining two architects were British: Alister Macdonald – son of Labour Prime Minister Ramsey Macdonald, and Richard Nickson, who went on to design the General Workers’ Union quarters in Valletta.

Their month-long visit to Malta was financed by the government and the brief for the scheme included the need to integrate the ruins in the proposed design. They were asked to present a final design that would respect the urban context and architectural character of Valletta.

“The official design brief was highly prescriptive and, in a way, tied the architects’ hands. It revealed that the government was pushing for continuity and wanted a replica or similar version of the bombed theatre. Some were very willing to honour these obligations and others defied and ignored them completely, going for a totally modernist approach,” Thake said.

Nickson’s proposal of a block structure was the favourite among local architects. However, the government went for a diametrically opposed scheme, filed by Zavellani-Rossi and Bergonzo.

Their design followed the Stile Littorio, an architectural style that featured in several buildings commissioned by the fascist regime in 1930s Italy.

“Their design for the reconstruction of the Royal Opera House followed a stripped-down form of classicism using travertine and simple rectilinear lines. The style was reminiscent of classical Greek times.

“The main façade would have faced Freedom Square, rather than Republic Street and the scheme included a row of arcades that were eventually built around the square.”

National Archives of Malta

This article is being published as part of a series called Malta’s hidden treasures, a collaboration between the National Archives of Malta and Times of Malta. The project, forming part of the European Digital Treasures co-funded by the European Union through the Creative Europe programme, allows readers to gain insight into Maltese history, society through our archives.

You can discover more at the National Archives of Malta headquartered at the historical building of Santo Spirito in Rabat and other archives. If you are unable to visit the archives in person, you can access an online oral and visual archive on www.memorja.com. The website is the main repository of recent Maltese national and public memory and hosts hundreds of recollections dating back to the 1920s.

More information about the national archives on 2145 9863 or customercare. archives@gov.mt.