The Emergence of the New Florentine Oligarchy: Palazzo Alessandri as a Pre-Renaissance Prototype for the Palazzo Typology (1369-76)

The construction of Palazzo Alessandri in Florence on Borgo degli Albizi during the 1370s signified the beginning of an architectural process that led to the formation of the Renaissance palazzo typology. Continuously inhabited by the same family of merchants who built it, the palace is the first one specifically designed only for residential purposes, a statement by its patrons meant to declare their social and political position in the city among the Florentine élite. The absence of shops on the ground floor allowed for a first among domestic residences in Florence: a solid façade made of rusticated pietra forte. Other notable features included a plan based on a regular grid, a large porticoed area, and a garden in the back. The Alessandri, together with the following palaces built by the members of the Albizi oligarchy (1384-1432), paved the way for the eventual design and the success of Palazzo Medici.