The Art Deco Legacy of Chesterfield in Asmara

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While the Fiat Tagliero service station and Cinema Impero often steal the spotlight in Asmara’s Art Deco narrative, the Chesterfield building offers a quieter, yet equally profound, lesson in architectural synthesis. This article examines three critical restoration mistakes made on similar Eritrean Deco structures and provides a practical decision-making framework for conserving the Chesterfield’s distinct cubist massing and nautical motifs.

Why Chesterfield’s Design Demands Specialist Knowledge

The Chesterfield building, unlike the streamlined Futurism of the Fiat Tagliero, relies on precise geometric arrangement and sparingly applied nautical details—railings, porthole windows, and clean horizontal bands. These elements are easily damaged by generic cement repointing or the application of modern sealants. To preserve its 1930s provenance, understanding the original Italian lime-based mortar and the local basalt aggregate used by Eritrean craftsmen is essential.

Risk arises when conservation teams prioritize speed over material science. A common failing is using high-pressure water jets to clean the facade, which erodes the soft limestone trim that defines the building’s cubist corners. The goal must be to stabilize without stripping the patina of age.

The Role of Local Craftsmanship

The building’s survival is a testament to the skill of Asmara’s masons, who interpreted Italian design briefs with local techniques. Any restoration plan must document this hybrid process. Avoiding the risk of cultural erasure means hiring artisans familiar with hand-tooled stonework rather than relying on prefabricated concrete panels.

How to Choose the Right Restoration Approach Without Risks

Selecting a restoration strategy for the Chesterfield begins with a three-phase audit: structural integrity, decorative finish authenticity, and environmental exposure. Without this audit, you risk either over-restoration (essentially rebuilding a replica) or benign neglect (allowing water damage to spread within the walls).

The right approach uses a “minimal intervention” philosophy. For example, if a nautical balcony railing is rusted, the safest method is to chemically stabilize the steel and repaint it with a period-correct oxide primer, rather than replacing it with modern galvanized steel. This preserves both the historical aesthetic and the structural dialogue between metal and stone.

• Prioritize documentation: Laser scan the facade before touching any surface. This creates a baseline for assessing future deterioration.
• Test on hidden areas: Once you have a scan, test cleaning solvents on a rear wall before applying them to the main street-facing elevation.
• Source period materials: Use lime from the same quarries (or similar geological sources) used in the 1930s to ensure chemical compatibility.

Top 5 Restoration Mistakes on Art Deco Buildings in Asmara

Drawing from local case studies and expert interviews, here are the five most common errors that lead to permanent damage or UNESCO advisory warnings, directly applicable to the Chesterfield building.

• Mistake 1: Removing original lime mortar and replacing it with Portland cement. This traps moisture inside the walls, accelerating stone spalling. The result is a loss of the crisp, clean lines that define the building’s cubist massing.
• Mistake 2: Sandblasting paint or biological growth. Sandblasting obliterates the original surface texture, leaving the stone vulnerable to rapid decay. On the Chesterfield, this destroys the subtle transitions between rendered and exposed stone sections.
• Mistake 3: Using modern acrylic paints on exterior surfaces. While cheaper, modern paints seal the substrate differently than the original oil-based or limewash coatings, leading to peeling and moisture entrapment within weeks.
• Mistake 4: Ignoring roof drainage details. The building’s clean horizontal lines rely on hidden gutters. When these are replaced with modern downpipes, the geometric purity is visually broken, and water spattering damages the foundation.
• Mistake 5: Replacing original steel windows with aluminum. While aluminum is low-maintenance, it changes the light reflection and profile depth, eroding the architectural character that gives the Chesterfield its transcontinental Deco identity.

Conclusion

The Chesterfield building is more than an architectural artifact—it is a living textbook on how European elegance merged with African craft in Asmara’s golden decade. To preserve its legacy, one must respect its materiality and the hands that built it.

• Choose minimal intervention: Stabilize, don’t replace. Restore the original fabric, not a modern imitation.
• Focus on material science: Lime mortar over cement; local stone over imported replicas; original steel over aluminum.
• Document everything: Create a digital archive before any work begins to protect the building’s UNESCO standing.
• Hire local masters: The traditional masons of Asmara hold the key to authentic repair—support their knowledge transfer.

Read more at https://shop.chesterfield.com