Margherita Theater

The orange façade in front of you belongs to the Teatro Margherita. Take a good look at it. Its foundations do not rest on solid ground; they plunge directly into the Adriatic Sea. And this is no accident, it’s a clever trick. At the beginning of the 20th century, the city of Bari wanted a new venue for performances. However, an agreement between the municipality and the powerful Petruzzelli family prohibited any new theaters in the municipal territory. The solution was as elegant as it was clever: build on the water. Therefore, outside the municipal boundaries, and thus beyond the law. A first wooden theater, the Margherita, opened its doors on October 5, 1910. Unfortunately, it had a short life, just nine months. On the night of July 22, 1911, a fire destroyed it in less than an hour. The cause was never officially determined, but sabotage was never ruled out. However, the city did not give up. Architects Francesco De Giglio and engineer Luigi Santarella took on the challenge: between 1912 and 1914, they built a new structure, this time made of reinforced concrete, the first of its kind in all of Bari. Their technique of using lightweight slabs with beams and hollow bricks was so innovative that it would later be copied throughout Europe under the name solaio alla Margherita, or the "Margherita slab." On August 22, 1914, it opened under the name Kursaal Margherita, offering variety shows and concerts in the vibrant atmosphere of the Belle Époque. Then came the war. In 1943, Allied forces occupied the building and renamed it the "Garrison Theater." The theater was damaged by bombings, and again in 1945 by the explosion of the Henderson ship in the nearby port. After the war, it became a cinema until 1979. Then, it was completely abandoned for thirty years, this floating Liberty-style palace. In 2009, a large restoration project began, and after nine years of work to stabilize the marine foundations, restore the dome, stuccoes, and frescoes, the Margherita reopened, not as a theater, but as a contemporary art museum, now called BAC, Bari Arte Contemporanea. This building has survived fire, war, and neglect, and it still stands, always on the water.