The former GIL building

All over in Italy, the Case del Balilla were an instrument of propaganda for modern architecture and at the same time for the Fascist regime. The innovative element of these buildings was its polyfunctionality: education, care and entertainment. Thus, these buildings combined libraries, gyms, swimming pools, theatre halls, rooms for private medical examinations as well as sports fields.

The area of the former ONB building (later GIL building) in Cesena, which extends over 8,000 square metres, was chosen because it is in a quiet area with little traffic. The initial project was probably rejected by Renato Ricci and substituted by a more modern one: the new project by engineer Tellierini’s is influenced by Cesare Valle’s project for the ONB of Forlì, which had been given considerable attention in the local and national newspapers. The project was appreciated because of its clear distribution of the different areas and the composition of the volumes attributed to various functions. After the war the building was used as a courtroom and more recently as the headquarters of the municipal police of Cesena.

The building was constructed between 1934 and 1935. The distribution hall is accessed by a staircase of 9 steps, leading on the right to a large gym area, the fencing and boxing rooms and to the changing rooms. On the left, there is a lower area with the library and offices. The roof is flat and functions as a sunroof, which can be reached by two ramps of stairs. One of these is designed in the form of a littoral tower and collocated on the main front of the building, which also leads to the tribune of the gym.