At the end of 1893, Camillo Olivetti wrote to his mother from the United States. “I expect to be in Ivrea by the end of August. If the income hasn’t fallen any further by then, I intend to sell all my property and invest the proceeds in the factory I’m planning. Everyone says I’m being foolish, and perhaps I am, but I don’t agree.”
His stubbornness resulted in a red-brick factory, construction of which began in 1896 not far from the railway station on land that his father had left him in his will. Resembling all the factories of the time, the first Olivetti plant was simple, small and functional, with a rectangular layout organised over two floors. The first extension, completed in 1899, added two further buildings to the main structure. It was here that, in 1908, Ing. C. Olivetti & C. established the first national typewriter factory.
With its austere, linear and solid design, the complex certainly does not excel in terms of natural light. However, it was one of the first Italian industrial buildings to feature load-bearing reinforced concrete structures. This foresight was driven by a focus on safety and production continuity at a time when fires in manufacturing facilities were all too common. It is also an example of the consistency and determination of Camillo Olivetti, who would soon make the company known and appreciated beyond Italy’s borders.
