The Liberty Building (, ), also known as "17 Stories" ( or ), is a 17-story residential tower in
Casablanca
Casablanca, also known in Arabic as Dar al-Bayda ( ar, الدَّار الْبَيْضَاء, al-Dār al-Bayḍāʾ, ; ber, ⴹⴹⴰⵕⵍⴱⵉⴹⴰ, ḍḍaṛlbiḍa, : "White House") is the largest city in Morocco and the country's econom ...
,
Morocco
Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to ...
.
It was designed by
Léonard Morandi and built between 1949 and 1951.
At the time of its construction, it was one of the tallest buildings on the African continent.
History
Léonard Morandi departed on a prospective trip to Morocco at the end of 1946. Morandi ultimately settled in Casablanca in 1947. He received his work permit October 1948, and soon three entrepreneurs from
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
,
Grenoble, and
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
asked him to build a
mixed-use residential and office tower.
Jacques Lemaigre Dubreuil
Jacques Lemaigre Dubreuil (1894–1955) was a French businessman and activist, born in Solignac on October 30, 1894 and murdered in Casablanca on June 11, 1955 presumably by members of ''La Main Rouge'' (Red Hand) for being allegedly sympathetic ...
(1894-1955), a French businessman and an activist in favor of Moroccan independence, was among the residents of the Liberty Building. He was assassinated at the foot of the building—ostensibly by ''
La Main Rouge''; the square, previously "''Place de la Révolution Française''," was renamed in his honor.
Architecture
This building has 17 stories and reaches a height of 78 meters. It was among the first
skyscrapers to be built on the African continent, and it was the first building with more than 16 stories in Morocco.
In addition to its groundbreaking history and its symbolism as the first residential building of its height on the continent, it was innovatively designed.
The building's floor plan takes the form of a V, which increases natural sunlight, and its southward orientation ensures direct sunlight and reduces the need for heating.
The main rooms, all facing south toward the square, are sheltered from ocean breeze often laden with humidity. The building also has private garbage chutes with antiseptic lining that lead to an incinerator.
References
{{coord missing, Morocco
Buildings and structures in Casablanca