Reconstructing urban houses in early eighteenth-century valletta : some examples from records of the officio delle case

Abstract

Several houses were reconstructed in Valletta during the early 18th century. In redefining social and economic parameters, numerous public and residential buildings were redesigned under the rule of Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena (1722‑1736).2 In the course of these constructions, Valletta’s urban fabric continued to be transformed into expressive Baroque manifestations. The urban renewal of Valletta prompted the demolition of smaller and dilapidated buildings to allocate space for larger palatial edifices, while other constructions entailed partial rebuilding of existing structures.3 On the other hand, minor interventions occurred within houses that needed repairs in order to be maintained in liveable conditions. Due to changing artistic and architectural styles, the replaced or repaired older features led to the transformation of urban house characteristics. These transformation processes altered spatial configurations within the house causing diverse social conflicts.4 These disputed cases of constructions and renovations denote the intensified construction activity within the city. Various aspects related to the reconstruction of urban houses are recorded in many archival sources of judicial, contractual and administrative form. In particular the records of the Officio delle Case5 , a tribunal assigned to regulate issues concerning houses, document endless examples of restructuring works especially within those contested spaces of the house such as the party wall and the façade. It is the aim of this paper to introduce a discussion on building activities frequent amongst the reconstruction of urban houses.