Ernesto Rapisardi

Ernesto Rapisardi was an Italian architect and engineer.

Life and career

Born in Syracuse, Sicily, the younger brother of Gaetano Rapisardi, he attended the local Arts and Technical School and graduated from the Academy of Fine Arts of Rome in 1921. He registered with the Rome Architects' Order on 20 March 1928. Subsequently, he registered with the Milan Architects' Order on 15 September 1965.
In 1926, Rapisardi worked on the Villa Fogaccia in Rome, one of his earliest works. In the same period, he designed the interiors of the Casa Madre del Mutilato, by architect Marcello Piacentini. Starting from this point, Rapisardi entered into a productive collaboration with Piacentini, jointly designing numerous buildings in Rome and especially in Milan, including the Banca Agricola Milanese Building and the Palazzo INPS.
From 1932, he worked for eight years under Piacentini's guidance on the construction of the new Milan Courthouse, where he was responsible for both the external structure and the interior works. From 1950 to 1956, Rapisardi designed the Leonardo da Vinci High School in Milan, on the site of the former San Pietro in Gessate monastery.
Throughout his career, he also designed many buildings in collaboration with his brother Gaetano, most notably the Palermo Courthouse.