The "Palazzo della Nuova Borsa Valori " of Genoa, also called "Palazzo della Borsa" (the Stock Exchange building) was built between 1906 and 1912 within the urban and architectural transformations that changed the face of Genoa between the 19th and 20th centuries. The project was entrusted to Roman architect Dario Carbone, who designed a rounded reinforced concrete structure. The architect adopted a neo-sixteenth-century style for the exterior decoration, while Art Nouveau artist Adolfo Coppedè was called upon to decorate the hall.
The main auction room, the so-called "Sala delle Grida" is elliptical, with four pairs of marble columns in the center supporting the dome, which is cut by a large skylight with the image of St. George and the dragon. The decoration covers every architectural element, starting with the wrought iron gate with the image of St. George and the dragon. The room was originally divided into two concentric spaces by two teak and mahogany railings: the innermost area, the "corbeille", was reserved for stockbrokers and housed the bell that marked the beginning and end of trading sessions. The second was reserved for the employees of brokers and commission agents who received orders and transmit them to their agents for execution. Along the perimeter of the room, Coppedè arranged 39 small offices furnished with elegant desks and telephones for stock exchange agents. The sequence of the offices is marked and emphasized by 3-meter-high bronze candelabra. The public had access to the Stock Exchange but had to stop before the gate. Only those who purchased an annual pass could access the reserved area beyond the gate and on this side of the space reserved for employees. Inside the building there were a telegraph system and an international telephone service. Admission to the Stock Exchange was free, although in the past the regulations prohibited access to “beggars, paupers, women, and soldiers”.
The "Palazzo della Nuova Borsa Valori" was inaugurated on July 20, 1912, with three days of solemn celebrations attended by authorities and stockbrokers from all over Italy. For three days, all Italian stock exchanges were closed.
The Genoa Chamber of Commerce provided all the services necessary for the market to function, from publishing the price list to managing the café, while technical management and supervision were entrusted to the Steering Committee of Stockbrokers. In the 1950s, a stock market board was installed at the back of the hall, which was constantly updated with prices by Chamber employees so that the public was always informed.
The last “call to the floor” took place on February 28, 1994, when the Stock Exchange entered the electronic age. On September 5, 1998, the "Sala delle Grida" closed its doors for good, only to reopen them after initial restoration work for the G8 summit and, following a second round of functional upgrades supported by the CARIGE Foundation, in 2004, when the Chamber returned a stock exchange to the city, preserved in its original space and renovated in its function.
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