Following the Albertine Statute of 1848, which officially granted freedom of worship, the Jewish community of Turin needed a synagogue. In the initial 1862 design, the Mole was only 52 meters tall. However, the architect raised the structure to 70 meters; due to a series of structural issues, the Jewish community was dissatisfied with the design. Antonelli continued construction regardless, and in 1889, the Mole became the tallest masonry structure of the world (at 167.35 meters).
In 1906, a star was placed at the summit (replacing the winged genius figure that had been struck by lightning). Between the 1960s and the 1990s, Mario Merz and other artists added works to embellish the building, which eventually became the home of one of the most important cinema museums.
submitted by /u/Trappeur_Hebertisme[link] [comments]