President's Office, Asmara

The Italian government wanted to create in Asmara (just made capital of Eritrea in place of Massawa[1]) an impressive building, from where the Italian governors could show the dedication of the Kingdom of Italy to the "Colonia primogenita" (first daughter-colony) as Eritrea was called.

[2] During the Italian Empire the building was improved as the center of the "Governatorato dell'Eritrea"; it was heavily damaged during World War II and then converted into a National Museum by the Ethiopian authorities in the 1950s.

Governor Ferdinando Martini wanted a structure with colonnades at the entrance in neoclassical style, surrounded by a park with lush vegetation.

In his opinion the building would be the biggest and most beautiful in Asmara, the newly declared capital of the Italian colony in 1897.

The main hall was decorated with typical Renaissance stairs toward the projected second floor.