I snapped this building on a weekend trip to Blackpool in 2001 and that is all I know about it. At the time it was home to the
Creative Nail Academy but certainly had a different purpose when it was first built.
Perhaps a clue to the building's former use are the
fasces which decorate the corners at the 3rd storey.
The fasces, an ancient Roman symbol for power, was adopted by the Italian facists during the 20s & 30s leading up to WWII which has somewhat soured this symbol to modern eyes.
No doubt there is an interesting story behind why a building in Blackpool dating from this time has these fasces as part of the decoration.
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Re the fasces. It was a symbol of executive authority in ancient Rome. I speculate that the building photographed in your blog was intended to have some government/administrative function when it was first built; hence the incorporation of the fasces.
ReplyDeleteYes. Maybe someone knows what the building was before it became the Creative Nail Academy that can confirm what it was originally.
ReplyDeleteThe local Council should have this information.
ReplyDeleteBTW, I find your blog to be wonderful. I have a soft spot for Art Deco and Nuevo Art Deco too, also a style called Secession which I witnessed a lot of in Poland when I was there recently. There was an exhibition about it in Wrocław too...
Generally, every cultural expression after the 1960s is rubbish in the West.