Research Paper for Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale

ITALY’S NATIONAL LIBRARY OF FLORENCE AND THE AFTEREFFECTS OF THE 1966 ARNO FLOOD

Biblioteca Nationale Centrale di Firenze

Kristen Robbins ARCH 685: Independent Study

December 1, 2012

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INTRODUCTION

The Biblioteca Nationale Centrale di Firenze, or the National Central Library in

Florence, Italy is a landmark for the Italian people. For over a century the Library has

served as a center for knowledge and culture. In 1966 the National Library because of

its proximity to the Arno River, suffered first hand at the disaster of the largest flood

Florence had seen since 15578. With the help of volunteers and the staff of the Library,

the flood did not completely end the Library. Even though much of the Library’s

collection could not be saved, the building itself survived and had minimal structural

damage. This paper will discuss the history of the National Library and how it came to

be today, the 1962 addition that expanded the Library greatly, and what affects the 1966

flood had on the building.

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FIGURE 1: BUST OF ANTONIO MAGLIABECHI

INSIDE THE B.N.C.F.

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

The history of the National Library actually begins with the famed Florentine

librarian Antonio Magliabechi (1633-1714). Magliabechi was a

book connoisseur and had a collection consisting of 40,000 books

and 10,000 handwritten manuscripts7. His obsession with books is

often noted to be extreme, causing some historians to label him a

‘bibliomaniac’. Bibliomania is an obsessive symptom and a

compulsive disorder which involves the collecting or even hoarding

of books to the point where social relations or health are

damaged3. The Grand Duke Cosmo III hired Magliabechi to

be his personal librarian in 1673 and with this title Magliabechi became one of the most

influential people to the founding of the National Library. After his death, Magliabechi

left his entire collection to the people of Florence, stating that it should “form a universal

public library for the benefit of the city, and especially for the poor, clerics, priests, and

laypeople who do not have a way to buy books nor have the study power”8.

By 1861, Magliabechi’s book collection that was housed in two rooms of the

Palazzo Vecchio had expanded. King Victor Emmanuel II decided to take the

‘Magliabechiana collection’ and form the core of what was to become the National

Library8. Several years later in 1869 the National Library made a law stating that it held

the production rights to copy any book published in Florence. By the rate of acclimation

of books, the Library soon earned the title of ‘Centrale’ from the “Regolamento Organico

delle Biblioteche del Regno"- which translates to the Regulation of Libraries in the

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FIGURE 2: BRUNELLESCHI CLOISTER WITH VIEW

OF SANTA CROCE BELLTOWER

FIGURE 3: THE TOWER NEAR PIAZZA DELLA

ZUCCA WHERE THE CALVARY BARRACKS WERE

MOVED

[Italian] Kingdom8. The National Library of Florence is one of two Italian national

libraries, with the other residing in Rome.

The turn of the century brought about more change for the National Library. In

May of 1900 the Ministerial Committee decided to give rise to a new building, providing

a broader and stronger home to the Library. The site was chosen to be the Santa

Croce district, located behind the church with a view of Corso Del Tintori. The site

location at that time housed the Santa Croce Cloister,

designed by famous architect and engineer Filippo

Brunelleschi (1377-1446), as well as the friars’ barracks

known as ‘Calvary’. The name ‘Calvary’ for the barracks

stemmed from the War of Siena during the reign of Cosimo I,

when the Cloister was invaded by Spanish militia on

horseback10. Until the 1900s, the location behind Santa

Croce was related to military tradition with strong religious

roots. The Calvary barracks were eventually relocated to the

Piazza Della Zucca (as seen in Figure 3) in 1907 in order to

make room for the new library building10.

Once the Brunelleschi Cloister (as seen in Figure 2)

was unveiled to be the neighbor for the new National Library

building, it received much attention from Florence. There was

a great impact of this re-discovering of the Cloister; “an

architectural masterpiece, long forgotten and disfigured,

was important because [it was a] ‘binding’ element that

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FIGURE 4: SANTA CROCE CLOISTER BY

BRUNELLESCHI

spurred the proposed project of a new Library

building”10. The Brunelleschi Cloister is marked by its

vaulted portico, multicolored detailing, and

sandstone, as seen in Figure 4. These features

helped inspire the final design of the National Library

building.  

COMPETITION FOR THE NATIONAL LIBRARY BUILDING

Before the demolition and construction could begin on the new building, an

architect and engineer were asked to submit designs. After finding several designs

lacking, an agreement passed between the City of Florence, the Bank Central Savings

and Deposits, and the State Administration that there would be a competition for the

design of the library. On February 4, 1902 a convention was held to write the

competition rules and requirements10. The convention drew up twelve articles requiring

that the building be built along the Corso Del Tintori, facing the Piazza Cavalleggeri and

Arno River. The total cost of the work was estimated to amount to 900,000 Lire with a

contribution from the Municipality of 300,000 Lire10.

The Committee for the competition included seven members, including two

librarians, Ministry of Education Officials, and other qualified personnel. The committee

had high hopes that the library would take only nine years to complete, but several

complications slowed down construction . Along with the size and scale of the large

project, the funding of new construction and demolition was quite costly. Italy had a

thinly stretched economy during the First World War and construction slowed

tremendously10.

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FIGURE 5: LOCATION OF THE B.N.C.F., ALONG

CORSO DEL TINTORI AND VIA MAGLIABECHI

The competition requirements included several different articles stating design

requirements and program necessities. Some of the articles that greatly affected the

design and scope of the final building included articles three, four, and five. The

programmatic outline for the library was listed in article three, with specifics for the types

of catalogs, manuscripts, and books that the library collection held10. Article three also

stated that the rooms holding these precious collections did not require direct sunlight.

The use of harsh sunlight on fragile materials would damage their quality, therefore the

use of filtered skylights were to be used in the final design of the building.

Article four stated more specifically about the chosen site for the project. The

building’s main entrance should be on Corso di Tintori, but should also have a second

entrance on Via Magliabechi (as seen in Figure 5). Via Magliabechi is the road named

for the previously mentioned librarian that

started the National Library collection; and

it is also the road that leads to the Santa

Croce Plaza. The article continues to

discuss the importance of having Santa

Croce and the Brunelleschi Cloister as

prominent influences of the site. It asks

the designers to be aware of the aesthetic

views and integrity of space for the church and the

cloisters10 This acknowledgement of preserving the

spatial quality and culture of the historical district helps produce a better suited building.

The last item that article four requires is that the Arno River’s location be taken into the

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FIGURE 6: CESARE BAZZANI, ARCHITECT OF THE

B.N.C.F.

FIGURE 7: ELEVATION OF BAZZANI DESIGN

design’s account. The article states that the library should have no floor level below

street level. This particular clause of the article is not very prominent in the competition

outline but could have been implemented stronger due to the Florence Flood of 1966.

Article five argued more for the style and quality of aesthetics of the library

building. It stated that the building should be of great artistic taste, in order to fit the

standards of the city of Florence. The city has wonderful historic architecture and the

committee wanted to ensure the continuation of this excellence. The candidates who

participated in the competition had a deadline to submit their

applications by July 31, 190310. A few years went by however

before the ultimate winner was decided and finally by June 7, 1906,

Cesare Bazzani had been announced as the winner.

Cesare Bazzani (1873-1939) was a prominent Roman

architect and public figure in society. He was a member of the

Council of Public Works and had designed significant

architectural contributions to Italy, such as the National

Gallery for Modern Art and Palace of Fine Arts in Rome5. After winning the competition

for the National Library, Bazzani emphasized that the main objectives of his design

were the “aesthetic feeling of the building” and its “practicality”10. A quote from

Bazzani’s memorandum of the building gives the basis for his design:

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FIGURE 8: CURRENT FLOORPLAN OF THE B.N.C.F.

“I did not try to do something archeological. Manifesting the era in which the

work is done, taking this event from the elements of the environment, and guided

by the memories and traditions of history, seemed to me to be the best decision.

[...] And to not enslave my feelings and resources of our time unduly traditions, I

tried to be environmental.”5

At the turn of the century, Bazzani’s design for the library won because of his

blending of ‘modern’ and ‘tradition’10. The design solution was for the building to be

parallel to the Arno River, with the main entrance in the middle of the façade. On each

side of the entrance, the adjoining wings were not in line with each other, but instead

went parallel to Corso del Tintori. By putting the wings of the building at different

angles, Bazzani used the entrance façade as an axis point and made a harmonious

effort with the road. This was an environmental solution for that time because Bazzani

adapted to meet the needs of the program but kept the organic nature of the road.

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FIGURE 9: FRONT FAÇADE OF B.N.C.F.

FIGURE 10: INSIDE THE B.N.C.F. TODAY,

SHOWING THE LARGE SKYLIGHT

BUILDING DESCRIPTION

Other architectural

elements of the library were

kept with traditional

Florentine style. The porch

recalls the welcoming of a

fifteenth century Tuscan

loggia, mimicking the grand proportion of the

plaza facing it, inviting people into the Library.

The glazed terracotta and detailing on the façade are decorative in nature and are

expressive of nearby monuments like the Brunelleschi Cloister10. The structure of the

library is reinforced concrete, designed in such a

way to ensure the proper load distribution from the

heavy storage of catalogs and books. The

foundation is set four meters below the road

surface10. The use of wood was not permitted as a

precaution again fire hazard and so the roof

terraces are also concrete with their loads

distributed through load bearing walls. Preventative

measure was also taken against fire by the use of

two water tanks placed at the top of the two front

towers. The interior spaces have a uniformity of light,

achieved through the use of skylights throughout the

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FIGURE 11: FRONT FAÇADE MATERIAL

FIGURE 12: BRONZE FIGURE OF GALILEO

building (as seen in Figure 10). 

With the main structure being of

reinforced concrete, the façade along

Corso del Tintori is mostly “pietra

serena”- sandstone10. Figure 11 shows

the different materials used by Bazzani;

such as sandstone for the strong

architectural elements like the arches

and blocks of the façade, Maiolica

terracotta for the recessed colored panels,

plaster for the spaces between the stone on the porch, and

grey granite for the columns. Maiolica terracotta is fired clay

that comes from the Italian word for Majorca, an island on the

route to Italy from Spain. The colors are applied as metallic

oxides to the unfired glaze, absorbing the pigment, and then

once fired the colors (in this case bright red and green) are

preserved9. The carved figures with a shield are carved white

marble, with the mottos “Pro Humanitate” and “Pro Veritate”.

In the two towers of the front façade are the great literary and

science figures of Dante Alighieri and Galileo Galilei, cast

in bronze (as seen in Figure 12).

The left wing of the building, along Via Magliabechi, houses the prominent

Rotunda (as seen in Figure 13). This curved architectural feature was meant to be a

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FIGURE 13: ROTUNDA OF B.N.C.F.

FIGURE 14: ROTUNDA OF B.N.C.F.

FIGURE 15: INTERIOR VIEW OF THE GALILEO

DOME INSIDE THE ROTUNDA

grand tribute to Dante and Galileo, but not to

overshadow Santa Croce10. The interior of

the rotunda is known as ‘Galileo’s dome’, but

the exterior keeps a flat top (as seen in Figure

14 and 15). By not exceeding the height of

the church and not obstructing views of the

bell tower, Bazzani retains respect for the historical

church.

On May 8, 1911, King Vittorio Emanuele II laid the foundation stone during a

ceremony to mark the beginning of the National Library construction8. This ceremony

turned out to be symbolic in nature, as the majority of the

construction was not completed until 1935. Finally on October

35, 1935 the National Library was inaugurated, and coincidentally

the Santa Maria Novella train station was also inaugurated the

same day8. 

1962 ADDITION

For twenty-seven years the National Library continued

to flourish and act as a staple in Florence society. By 1960s, it

was decided that an expansion would be necessary to serve

as the National Bibliography and Processing Center for the

Library. The architect chosen for the expansion was Vincenzo

Mazzei, who completed the addition in 19628. This

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FIGURE 17: 1962 ADDITION SET BACK FROM

ORIGINAL STRUCTURE

FIGURE 18: 1962 ADDITION TO THE B.N.C.F.

addition to the library was rectangular in shape and had a large percent of the structure

acting as a façade along Via Magliabechi. Attaching to the Library’s rotunda, the

addition continues towards Santa Croce and sits in between the very public Via

Magliabechi and the private Brunelleschi Cloisters. In 1962 the National Parks

Standards Preservation Brief 14 had not been written yet (it was not published until

1986), nonetheless it can still act as a guideline to deem whether the addition is

compatible to the historic Library building.

In the NPS Brief 14, “New Exterior

Additions to Historic Buildings: Preservation

Concerns” several suggestions are given to

help preserve the historical character of a

building when designing an addition. The

new addition should include a “small-scale

hyphen to physically separate the old and

new volumes”12. This can be seen in Figure 17,

showing the entrance to the rotunda, Mazzei has a

small scale juncture between the old Library and the

new construction. Another factor the Brief 14 points

to is the use of correct materials, “the use of building

materials should be in the same color range or value

of the historic building...they should be harmonious

and not distracting”12. Mazzei chose to use the same

sandstone used in the older Library, but with less

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FIGURE 19: VIEW OF FLORENCE DURING THE

ARNO RIVER FLOOD

decorative carvings and panels on the façade. Another guideline the Brief 14 gives is to

direct the openings and fenestrations to align with the older structure. As one can see

in Mazzei’s design in Figure 18, the simplified façade has large glass windows that are

dramatically different from the older Library’s windows. This use of larger glass was

permitted in the 1962 addition in order to allow the penetration of natural light. This was

possible due to the fact that the storage of precious manuscripts and books were not to

be in the new wing. Some privacy is offered by the row of trees planted in front of the

addition, but the large windows greet a widely used pedestrian path allowing for views

inside. Overall, the large size and scale of the 1962 addition does not quite follow the

Brief 14’s requirement of a “simple and unobtrusive design that is not highly visible from

the public right of way”12. Even though the

Via Magliabechi is considered the secondary

road to the larger Corso del Tintori, it is still a

highly visible addition with a large modern

façade. Mazzei’s expansion in 1962

dramatically altered the National Library.

ARNO RIVER FLOOD OF 1966

After the addition in 1962, disaster struck not only

the National Library, but also the entirety of Florence with the flood of the Arno River on

November 4, 1966. Throughout the early morning of November fourth, waters from the

Arno had already been pumping continuously into the city. The Valdarno dam was

opened around 4:00AM because engineers feared bursting; and the waters of the Arno

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FIGURE 20: DESTRUCTION OF SANTA CROCE

DISTRICT DUE TO FLOOD WATER

FIGURE 21: B.N.C.F. AFTER 1966 FLOOD

stretched even to the outskirts of Florence4. At its fastest speed, the water reached 60

kilometers per hour (roughly 37 miles per hour)4, bursting into churches, businesses,

homes, and charging down the narrow alleys of Florence.

No national alarm was raised because November fourth is a

national holiday and the whole town was sleeping while the

most of the damage was happening. This also meant that

businesses and public buildings were locked and extremely

difficult to reach inside with the high waters. In the Santa

Croce district waters reached up to five meters high4.

In the National Library it is estimated that 1,300,000

items were damaged from the flood waters, including

books, manuscripts, and precious artwork4. This was

about one third of the BNCF core collection. The items located at the basement level

had originally been placed on the lower levels because of the hope of saving them from

bombings during WWII10. However the basement proved the worst place for storage of

historic artifacts, not only from the flood

waters, but also from all the mud and oil

that comes with the water. Diesel-run

boilers from the neighboring residences

also caused a lot of harm to the BNCF

collection10. In order to save the water-

damaged books a Restoration Workshop

was set up. This clinic was vital in drying,

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FIGURE 22: DESTRUCTION OF 1966 FLOOD TO

PRECIOUS BOOKS AND HISTORIC ARTIFACTS

cleaning, and restoring the items of the BNCF. The ‘Opificio delle Pietre Dure’ – is the

name of the Restoration Clinic today, and they still occupy a few offices in the National

Library. With the help of volunteers from around the world, as well as the Restoration

Workshop employees, many damaged books were saved. The technique of

conservation was innovative for the time and included

freezing the books to preserve the mud-damaged

pages4. All the volunteers in the city working in the

aftermath of the flood were referred to as ‘Mud

Angels’1. The efforts to save the items in the BNCF

collection were truly inspiring; however, the effects left

from the flood on the Library building itself was

something that could not have been stopped.

The National Trust for Historic Preservation

writes in the brief Treatment of Flood-Damaged Older

and Historic Buildings that water is one of the most

harmful elements to a building11. After the floodwaters recede, the first step to restore

normality is the drying process. A constant rate of ventilation is the key to drying out the

water, with careful measures not to dry the space too fast. Using “industrial equipment

to remove moisture at a fast rate”11 may cause permanent damage, therefore open

windows and dehumidifiers are suitable options. Damaging effects of water in buildings

can include rot, rust, spalling, and mold growth. The flood waters often find their way

inside walls or the building envelope itself so it may be necessary to open walls to let

the trapped moisture dry out. For the 1966 flood, the amount of mud should have been

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FIGURE 23:MASONRY DETERIORATION

removed while wet because this is when it is easiest to clean. The electrical system of

the BNCF was checked, with the electrical outlets and mechanical chases found in need

of rising out the mud10. The

recommendation from the NTPS is to use a

non-sudsing cleaning product to clean any

remaining dirt of the historic surfaces. A

disinfectant should also be used to

“remove bacteria, germs, and odor left from

floodwaters”11.

Along with the cosmetic flood

damage, the structural integrity of a

building must be checked after an

influential flood. The BNCF does not

appear to have significant structural

damage; however, a technical report

should be produced from time to time to

survey the condition of the Library. This

report would prove useful in making sure

the historic building does not decay from

the lasting effects of water damage or from

old age. The masonry deterioration from

flood waters is caused by the impurities

found in the masonry that dissolve, like

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FIGURE 24: SOIL EROSION

soluble salts. These salts are carried to the surface and leave a white residue called

efflorescense11. If the surface of the building has been treated with a sealer, the salts

become crystalized and trapped behind the surface and eventually crack the surface

pushing outward (as seen in Figure 23). The result of cracking and chipping of the

surface is called spalling11. Along the bottom of the building surface the flood waters

may have eroded some of the soil. As seen in Figure 24, the soil should be replaced so

that the water slopes away from the building.

During the 1966 Flood the basement of the Library filled with water and mud

causing great loss and damage. The Library was required to wait several days before

pumping the water out of the basement8. This was due to the danger of hydrostatic

pressure outside the basement versus the interior. If the groundwater level is the same

or higher than the basement level of water it is not beneficial to pump it out. As seen in

Figure 25, the water will either return and seep back into the basement or the

groundwater pressure will cause damage to the foundation walls.

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FIGURE 25: HYDROSTATIC PRESSURE

The most apparent

damage that the Library is

currently facing from the 1966

Flood is the high content of

moisture still present in the

building. The presence of

moisture can physically be felt

in the air, as well as the

appearance of mold in the

basement level. Mold has

been proved to cause a

number of human health

problems such as asthma,

irritant effects,

hypersensitivity pneumonitis, and opportunistic

infections6. The reduction of moisture in the building can help prevent not only mold

growth, but also the fluctuation of building materials sizes. When moisture is present

and traveling from material to material, the water causes the building material to expand

or shrink. Charles Graham explains in his essay on Limiting Abnormal Mold Growth in

Buildings, that “a method of escape must be provided for the moisture...either to diffuse

inside or outside the wall...And most of the moisture will diffuse to the interior”6.

Dehumidifiers can help take away much of the presence of moisture in the air in the

lower basement levels of the Library. Avoiding moisture in a building can help in the

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form of durability of materials, improved production of mechanical systems, and

improved indoor air quality6.

In conclusion, the 1966 Florence Flood was a devastating flood that affected

many and integrated many fields of work. The study of the National Library building’s

current condition shows that a further investigation should be applied. The structural

integrity, as well as cosmetic damage, should be monitored. The reason for monitoring

is because the Library is a cultural landmark of Italy; and the security, health and

welfare of the users of the Library is also in need of protection. The Exhibition Catalog

of the construction of the Library building by Guglielmo Malchiodi was an excellent

source that provided much history and background of the National Library.

Nonetheless, the catalog was published in 1986, a year which now means that the

study is over twenty five years old. A new study of the building’s condition, with special

emphasis on mold presence and moisture content, should be conducted. The National

Trust for Historic Preservation states that with “proper cleaning and drying out

procedures, the only reminder of floodwaters in historic structures should be a

watermark and date on the wall.”11

Even though the last report I found in my research was to be from 1986, it is not

true to say that the National Library has forgotten about the Arno Flood of 1966 and its

aftereffects. The Library, as well as the City Council Members of Florence, takes very

seriously the memory of the Arno Flood. Each year on November 4, a ceremony is held

remembering those who lost their lives in the flood, the damage the flood inflicted on the

city, as well as the future possibilities of flood risk (as seen in Figure 27 and 28). The

National Library is a building that has withstood national disasters and other trials for

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FIGURE 27: WREATH DEDICATED TO VICTIMS OF

THE FLOOD DURING NOVEMBER 4TH CEREMONY

FIGURE 28: CEREMONY ON NOVEMBER 4TH WITH

LECTURES ABOUT ARNO RIVER TODAY AND

HOW THE CLIMATE AND FLORENCE IS AFFECTED

over a century and will continue to survive for many years to come. Italy’s national

landmark is a remarkable building that needs restoring to its full potential. 

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References

1. “Angeli del Fango.” Angelidelfango.it. Accessed December 1, 2012.

http://www.angelidelfango.it/english/index_e.html

2. Basilico, Gabriele. “Cesare Bazzani: un Accademico d'Italia.” Umbrian Associated:

Perugia, 1986.

3. “Bibliomania.” Wikipedia.org. Last modified 24 November 2012. Accessed

December 1, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bibliomania.

4. Clarkson, Christopher. The Florence Flood of November 1966 & Its Aftermath.

Copyright Christopher Clarkson. 2003.

5. Elia, Mario. “Bazzani, Cesare.” Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani. L’Encyclopedia

Italiana, Vol 7, 1970. Accessed December 1, 2012.

http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/cesare-bazzani_%28Dizionario-

Biografico%29/.

6. Graham Charles. “Limiting Abnormal Mold Growth in Buildings.” Thirteenth

Symposium on Improving Building Systems in Hot and Human Climates.

Houston: 2002. Accessed December 1, 2012.

http://repository.tamu.edu/bitstream/handle/1969.1/4611/ESL-HH-02-05-

05.pdf?sequence=4

7. Koch, Theodore. “Some Old-Time Old World Librarians.” The North American

Review. Boston, 1914. Issue 705. Accessed December 1, 2012.

http://libr.org/juice/issues/vol8/LJ_8.5.html.

8. “Informazioni Generali.” Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze. Accessed

December 1, 2012. http://www.bncf.firenze.sbn.it/.

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9. “Maiolica.” Wikipedia.org. Last modified 19 November 2012. Accessed December

1, 2012. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maiolica.

10. Malchiodi, Guglielmo. “L'edificio della Biblioteca Nazionale Centrale di Firenze.”

Exhibition Catalog. Florence, 1986.

11. Sewell, Jim. “Treatment of Flood-Damaged Older and Historic Buildings.” National

Trust for Historic Preservation. Washington D. C., 1993.

12. Weeks, Katie, and Anne Grimmer. Preservation Brief 14. National Parks Service.

Washington D. C., 1986.