The O
building O
is O
located O
on O
the O
main O
city’s O
avenue O
the O
Korzo O
and B-LOC
is O
characterized O
by O
one O
of O
the O
most O
recognizable O
balconies O
in O
the O
city O
centre O
while O
its O
other O
facade O
looks O
on O
to O
the O
Rijeka O
Resolution O
square. O
It O
is O
one O
of O
the O
most O
noteworthy O
buildings O
in O
Rijeka O
and B-LOC
it O
went O
through O
many O
political O
transformations O
during O
the O
twentieth O
century. O
It O
was O
built O
in O
1863 O
following O
the O
plan O
of O
the O
architect O
Antonio O
Deseppi B-PER
and I-PER
it I-PER
initially O
housed O
the O
“Casinò O
patriottico” O
and O
the O
Società O
filodrammatica. O
From O
1890 O
the O
building O
housed O
the O
“Narodna O
čitaonica” O
(the O
People’s/national O
reading O
room) O
becoming O
the O
most O
important O
cultural O
center O
of O
the O
Croatian O
Slavic O
life O
in O
the O
city. O
Important O
decisions O
for O
the O
Croatian O
community O
were O
taken O
in O
this O
building O
such O
as O
the O
Rijeka O
Resolution O
in O
1905 O
a O
political O
agreement O
aimed O
at O
establishing O
a O
political O
coalition O
between O
Croatian O
and O
Serbian O
parties O
in O
the O
Austro O
Hungarian O
political O
arena. O
In O
1918 O
when O
the O
Austro O
Hungarian O
empire B-LOC
was I-LOC
collapsing I-LOC
and O
possession O
of O
Rijeka O
became O
a B-LOC
point I-LOC
of O
contention O
between O
Italy O
and O
the O
new B-LOC
Yugoslav O
state O
it B-LOC
was I-LOC
in I-LOC
this I-LOC
building O
that O
the O
Croatian/South O
Slavic O
national O
council O
declared O
the O
annexation O
to O
the O
Kingdom O
of O
Serbs O
Croats B-LOC
and I-LOC
Slovenes. I-LOC
Rijeka I-LOC
was I-LOC
however I-LOC
annexed B-LOC
by O
Italy O
and O
subsequently O
the O
building O
served O
to O
maintain O
a O
connection O
with O
the O
South O
Slavic O
population O
of O
the O
city O
alongside O
the O
Consulate O
of O
the O
Kingdom O
of O
Serbs O
Croats B-LOC
and I-LOC
Slovenes. I-LOC
In I-LOC
1930 I-LOC
however I-LOC
it O
was O
turned O
into O
the O
headquarters O
of O
the O
Italian O
Fascist O
Party O
the O
“Casa O
del O
Fascio”. O
After O
the O
Second O
World O
War O
its O
role O
changed O
again. O
Since O
1951 O
it O
has O
been O
the O
headquarters O
of O
Radio O
Rijeka O
originally O
broadcasting O
both O
in O
Croatian O
and O
Italian O
languages. O
In O
the O
fifties O
two O
commemorative O
plaques O
were O
unveiled O
on O
the O
building O
aimed O
at O
memorialising O
the O
building's O
role O
in O
Croatian O
history. O
The O
first O
celebrates O
the O
Resolution O
of O
Rijeka O
while O
the O
second O
celebrates O
the O
literary O
journal O
Neven O
and O
the O
first O
century O
of O
the O
Croatian O
press O
in O
the O
city O
of O
Rijeka. O
The O
Čitaonica O
is O
still O
housed B-LOC
in O
the O
building. O
Another O
section O
of O
the O
building O
called O
the O
Mali O
Salon O
was O
a O
space O
for O
art O
exhibitions O
established O
after O
World O
War O
II O
and O
one O
of O
the O
main O
expressions O
of O
city’s O
artistic O
life O
on O
Korzo. O
Sadly O
it O
was O
closed O
in B-LOC
2019. I-LOC