The Secchi fonds (1924-1991)

Luigi Lorenzo Secchi (1899 - 1992)

After graduating in industrial engineering from the Politecnico di Milano in 1924 Secchi began work designing for Milan city council (swimming pools, markets, school buildings) and later as curator of the Teatro alla Scala whose rebuilding he was responsible for after it was bombed in World War Two. His freelance work after the war was also important and involved designing dams and industrial plants.

The fonds comprises 63 binders, 24 design rolls and 21 files and documents 73 projects. The material (documents and photographs) is subdivided into two large sections. The first (1197 archive units) relates to his work life, the second (1122 archive units) looks at the reconstruction, conservation and maintenance of the Teatro alla Scala. The material in the first section illustrates L.L. Secchi's career from graduation until the 1970s as an employee of Milan city council in the social building and town planning sectors and freelance work. The Teatro alla Scala documentation relates to the years 1933 to 1991 and is especially important on the subject of the reconstruction of the theatre after it collapsed after bombing on 15th August 1943.

It was donated to the Archivi Storici in October 2014.

Additional documentation
The inventory of the collection is published on ArchiVista http://www.archimistaweb.polimi.it/groups/Polimi-ArchiviStorici/ and on the Lombardia Archivi website https://lombardiarchivi.servizirl.it/; it is also accessible on LombardiaBeniCulturali http://www.lombardiabeniculturali.it/archivi/complessi-archivistici/MIBA007F07/.

Described in SIUSA and the SAN architecture portal.

The Luigi Lorenzo Secchi e la ricostruzione del Teatro alla Scala, C. Camponogara and M. Vitale (eds.), Milano, Unicopli 2016 exhibition catalogue is also available.