Florence's Ex-Railway Workshops Face Redevelopment, Cultural Use Questioned

The former Officine Grandi Riparazioni (OGR) of Ferrovie dello Stato in Florence, located in the Porta al Prato district near the Nuovo Teatro dell'Opera and Stazione Leopolda, are set for a major redevelopment. FS has announced a call for expressions of interest to purchase the 100,000-square-meter site, with a gross floor area of 54,000 square meters. Plans include office, commercial, residential, and hotel spaces, with the current 80,000 square meters of built area reduced to increase green space. The Edificio Riparazione Carrelli, protected as a cultural asset, must be fully preserved. The project also envisions a tram line replacing the current railway, new roads, green areas, cycle paths, and connections to Parco delle Cascine. However, critics note the absence of any cultural destination in the plans, missing an opportunity to create contemporary art spaces akin to Turin's OGR, which reopened on September 30 as a center for visual and performing arts, science, and technology, with a 90-million-euro investment by Fondazione CRT. Turin's reopening on November 3 coincides with Artissima, featuring a collective show curated by Tom Eccles, Liam Gillick, and Mark Rappolt, in collaboration with Fondazione Rebaudengo, displaying works from Patrizia Sandretto's collection alongside pieces from Museo Egizio, Castello di Rivoli, and Fondazione Torino Musei. Similar redevelopments are underway in Rome's Ex Dogana di San Lorenzo and Milan's Scali Milano project.