Francesco Boffo
Encyclopedia
Francesco Carlo Boffo was a Sardinia
n-born Neoclassical
architect who designed more than 30 buildings in Odessa
between 1818 and 1861, including the famous Potemkin Stairs
.
Boffo was apprenticed to an architect in Ticino
, then joined the University of Turin
before entering the service of the Potocki
noble family in Poland
. He served as Odessa's chief architect between 1822 and 1844. His patrons included Prince Michael Vorontsov
and his wife, Elisabeth Branicka. Boffo was responsible for transforming Odessa into the open-air museum of Neoclassical architecture
, rivalling St. Petersburg in the north of Imperial Russia.
The Potocki, Shidlovsky, and Vorontsov Palaces in Odessa were built to his designs, as was the Czarnomski Palace near Bershad
(1817). The latter is famed for its uncanny resemblance to the White House
. The Potemkin Stairs, Boffo's most ambitious undertaking, was modeled on the earlier Depaldo Stairs, designed by him for the town of Taganrog
in 1823. It was Boffo who conceived a 22-metre memorial column for the Kagul battlefield
. He also built the Londonskaya Hotel building in 1826-28. The architect died and was buried in Odessa.
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
n-born Neoclassical
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
architect who designed more than 30 buildings in Odessa
Odessa
Odessa or Odesa is the administrative center of the Odessa Oblast located in southern Ukraine. The city is a major seaport located on the northwest shore of the Black Sea and the fourth largest city in Ukraine with a population of 1,029,000 .The predecessor of Odessa, a small Tatar settlement,...
between 1818 and 1861, including the famous Potemkin Stairs
Potemkin Stairs
The Potemkin Stairs , is a giant stairway in Odessa, Ukraine. The stairs are considered a formal entrance into the city from the direction of the sea and are the best known symbol of Odessa....
.
Boffo was apprenticed to an architect in Ticino
Ticino
Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...
, then joined the University of Turin
University of Turin
The University of Turin is a university in the city of Turin in the Piedmont region of north-western Italy...
before entering the service of the Potocki
Potocki
Potocki is the surname of a Polish noble family.-History:The Potocki family is a great artistocratic family originated from Potok in the Kraków Voivodeship; their family name derives from that place name. The family is heavily entwined with the cultural development and history of Poland's Eastern...
noble family in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
. He served as Odessa's chief architect between 1822 and 1844. His patrons included Prince Michael Vorontsov
Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov
Prince Mikhail Semyonovich Vorontsov , was a Russian prince and field-marshal, renowned for his success in the Napoleonic wars, and most famous for his participation in the Caucasian War from 1844 to 1853....
and his wife, Elisabeth Branicka. Boffo was responsible for transforming Odessa into the open-air museum of Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture
Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...
, rivalling St. Petersburg in the north of Imperial Russia.
The Potocki, Shidlovsky, and Vorontsov Palaces in Odessa were built to his designs, as was the Czarnomski Palace near Bershad
Bershad
Bershad , is a small city in the Vinnytsia Oblast of western Ukraine. It is the administrative center of the Bershadsky Raion .The population is around 13,300 ....
(1817). The latter is famed for its uncanny resemblance to the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
. The Potemkin Stairs, Boffo's most ambitious undertaking, was modeled on the earlier Depaldo Stairs, designed by him for the town of Taganrog
Taganrog
Taganrog is a seaport city in Rostov Oblast, Russia, located on the north shore of Taganrog Bay , several kilometers west of the mouth of the Don River. Population: -History of Taganrog:...
in 1823. It was Boffo who conceived a 22-metre memorial column for the Kagul battlefield
Battle of Kagul
The Battle of Cahul was the most important land battle of the Russo-Turkish War, 1768-1774 and one of the largest battles of the 18th century...
. He also built the Londonskaya Hotel building in 1826-28. The architect died and was buried in Odessa.