Architect Luca Beltrami was born on 13 November 1854 in Milan. Beltrami received his formative training at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Milan and subsequently traveled to Paris. While there he contributed to several significant architectural projects. He served, for example, as an inspector for the designs of architects Théodore Ballu and Édouard Deperthes for the reconstruction of the Hôtel de Ville.
Returning to Milan in 1880, Beltrami invested himself in an even more diverse range of projects. He worked on the restoration and renovation of the Castello Sforzesco between 1891-1905 while simultaneously reconstructing facades for several churches. He also designed the pedestal for the monument to Italian poet Giuseppe Parini, which still stands in the Piazza Cordusio in the heart of Milan. His early 20th-century designs were award winning, including his plan for the Monumento alle Cinque Giornate di Milan, commemorating the success of the Milanese against Austrian troops who had invaded the city in 1848.
Early photograph of Luca Beltrami (1854-1933).
Théodore Ballu, Édouard Deperthes, and Luca Beltrami, Hôtel de Ville, Paris (reconstruction, 1892).
Piazza Cinque Giornate, with the Monumento alle Cinque Giornate di Milano (featuring sculpture by Giuseppe Grandi, 1895).
Monument to Giuseppe Parini, Piazzale Cordusio, Milan. (featuring sculpture by Luigi Secchi).(Photo by Giovanni dall’Orto).
Source: De Gubernatis, Angelo, and Ugo Matini, Dizionario degli artisti italiani viventi, pittori, scultori e architetti (Florence: Tipi dei successori Le Monnier, 1889).