The unrealized project of the State Archives building (1922) by architect Dimitrije M. Leko

Abstract

The unrealized project of the State Archives building (1922) is one of the earliest works of the prominent architect and university professor at the Technical Faculty in Belgrade, Dimitrije M. Leko. The project stands as an embodiment of the high-standard academic education of the architect, as well as his affectations and skill in designing monumental public buildings, which would come to have a deep impact on the Yugoslav architectural scene. As a witness to the gradual formation of the architect's particular authorial expression, the project is of great importance to a more complete understanding of his artistic opus. With a more detailed historiographical treatment, this paper strives to contribute to a more complete understanding of the complex history of the construction of the State Archives building, as well as to the genesis of Leko's own personal architectural style.

Keywords

• architecture
• academicism
• belgrade
• dimitrije m. leko
• state archives
• unrealized project