Venice Floods, Threatening Gritti Palace and Other Notable Interiors

As news of the Venice floods travels across social media, with images of architectural marvels and historic interiors submerged in water popping up left and right, design lovers around the world are on edge. This is the largest flood to descend on the city in over a half century, worrying residents and fans of the seaside city.

One notable interior damaged by the flooding is Gritti Palace, the glamorous hotel on the Grand Canal that dates back to the 15th century. In the past decade, the palazzo underwent a nearly $60 million restoration by designer Chuck Chewning of Donghia Associates, documented by Architectural Digest in 2013. Chewning shared photos of water pouring through the hotel on Instagram.

"We had designed it knowing that it would flood," Chewning tells AD PRO, adding that the project flooded more than 30 times in 2010, his first year working on it. "All of the ground floor is marble flooring, so every room acts like a swimming pool." However, the team had designed the space to accommodate floods of up to five feet, while this recent event brought in unprecedented tides of more than six feet. And while the structure of the hotel is safe, the interior furnishings are another story. "This came up so fast and violently that they weren’t able to get any furniture out," Chewning says. "All these beautiful antiques and furnishings are just sitting in this water."

Elsewhere in the city, workers at the historic St. Mark’s Basilica were actively trying to protect the cathedral from irreparable damage, as images surfaced of its flooded interior. In its nine-century history, the building has only experienced major flooding six times, according to the Washington Post.

Toto Bergamo Rossi, the director of Venetian Heritage, an organization chaired by architect Peter Marino that seeks to preserve the city’s cultural artifacts, was one of the many residents processing the events when AD PRO caught him by phone.

“The majority of churches in Venice are like museums…. I was so scared for them and all the decoration, like the old benches and 18th-century [works],” Rossi says. “Many of them have ended up underwater.” He points out that since the flooding is caused by high tides, the water infiltrating the city’s monuments is salt water, which has an especially disastrous impact. “The salt disintegrates materials—it makes brick erode, marble erode…it’s like a cancer for buildings,” he says.

Rossi also emphasizes that the extent of the flooding—various reporting posits that some 85 percent of the city has been flooded—means the damage extends well beyond beloved landmarks. “Of course some are more fragile, like the Basilica of St. Mark, because it’s so old—the crypt is looking like a swimming pool,” he says, noting that “it’s not about one specific building, it’s about the entire city.”

Italian prime minister Giuseppe Conte is set to declare a state of emergency on Thursday. Though the tidewaters had mostly receded by Wednesday afternoon, they were expected to return Thursday, with forecasts anticipating tides of more than four feet. The prime minister also announced that individuals could claim up to $5,500, and businesses up to $22,000, in funds to support rebuilding efforts, according to the BBC.

Cultural institutions and art museums have shut their doors in the hopes of protecting their valuable collections. The Venice Biennale, the months-long art and architecture showcase attracting international crowds each year, was forced to shutter its Giardini and Arsenale exhibitions on Wednesday, according to ArtNet.

The Peggy Guggenheim Collection, across the canal from the Gritti, posted a statement from director Karole P.B. Vail on Instagram. “Venice has been affected by extraordinarily high tides and finds itself now in a state of calamity and alert,” the statement read. “Fortunately, the museum staff is well and safe, the museum and collections are safe and have not been damaged, but for security reasons and in order to deal with this emergency situation including some damages in the ticket office and shop, the museum is closed to the public today and tomorrow.”

Museo di Palazzo Grimani posted an image of its flooded courtyard to announce its closure. Elsewhere, the Palazzo Grassi and Punta della Dogana had shuttered their doors as of Wednesday.

Though the full damage is yet to be assessed, it’s clear many lengthy and costly restoration efforts will be required to rebuild the city’s artifacts. “We feel completely powerless when something happens like this,” Rossi says, pointing out the recurring nature of tide-driven events. “It’s a never-ending story.”