Apartments, Massawa

Apartment Building in Massawa

Gatehouse, Massawa

I think this is a little gatehouse at the port in Massawa. It has the outline of Eritrea of the roof left over from the celebrations for the anniversary of their independence a few weeks earlier. And I do love black & white checks but that's not a deco thing.

A Pair of Buildings in Massawa

I remember it was bloody hot the day we were in Massawa. Too hot for a lot of walking so this is as close as I got to this pair of buildings. The zoom brought them a bit closer!

Apartments in Massawa

This is an interesting apartment block of indeterminate age in Massawa.

I find it unusual that the upper floors overhang the ground floor providing shade and shelter for the footpath. The columns on the open balconies are the same as the columns between the windows. The windows are shuttered so they may, in fact, not have any glass.

Decoration takes the form of a row of diamonds above the second storey windows and a more complex combination of repeating geometric shapes above the top floor windows. There is also the squares on the balcony walls and the 'union jack' panel in the centre of each balcony.

A House in Massawa, Eritrea

OK it is a little rundown but lots of Massawa in Eritrea is (or at least was, in 2003 when I was there).

This is a great house all the same. Three storeys with open and open, curved terrace and a flat roof.

The boxed section at the front of the house has two vertical rectangular panels of windows cut into the corners plus a third panel topped with a semi-circular section of windows. The central panel of windows differs from the other two in that it starts at ground level and the panes are offset rather than in the more usual grid pattern.

This garden at the front of the house is entered through a lovely double wooden gate.

Hotel Torino, Massawa

Is the Hotel Torino in Massawa an Art Deco building?

I've seen in Eritrea by Edward Denison & Edward Paice that it was constructed in the late 1930s so from that point of view it sits firmly in the interwar period when, as the name suggests, the Italians occupied the area.

The shape of the windows, however, look back to an earlier time perhaps when the town was part of the Ottoman Empire. Yet to my eye the decoration has been simplified and stripped back to its basic form.

The curved facade, sitting on a prominent corner site, is a common streamline feature and with conventional windows I think the building could easily fall into that category of architecture.

What do others think?

Apartment Building, Massawa

Massawa is a port city on the Red Sea coast of Eritrea. It is hot, dusty and suffered a lot of damage during the Eritrean Struggle with Ethiopia.

The architecture reflects a lot of Arab influence but also shows some art deco style.

This apartment building shows both. The building curves around two corners with simple metal railings surrounding the balconies and flat roof. The balconies also act as shading for the windows below providing some relief in this harsh climate.

I'm not sure if the condition of the top floor is a result of bombing during The Struggle or whether it is being renovated. It is difficult to tell.

It doesn't help the general outlook of the building when all the wooden shutters are closed against the heat of the day.

The shape of the windows is lovely. The triangles above the standard rectangluar windows an balcony doors add a simple elegance. Even here you'll notice that the original design has been compromised by alterations. In the case of the lower flat, the triangle window has been filled in. At least it is still recessed so the shape can still be seen but it lacks something without the wooden slats.