- Written by Mohieldin Gamal
- Published on March 03, 2026
In January 2026, the World Monuments Fund/Knoll Modernism Prize was awarded to Australian firm Architectus for their conservation of the Africa Hall in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The award recognizes that Modernist buildings, once seen as a vanguard of architecture, are falling into disrepair and are underappreciated by the public. The situation in Africa is typical of this global sentiment, and this was the first time a building on the continent was graced with this award. The prize also spotlights Ethiopia’s rich Modernist inventory, which marks its continental role in the mid and late twentieth century.
Modern Ethiopia has a unique place in African history as the only country to successfully resist colonization (apart from a brief period of Italian occupation before the Second World War). Its capital city, Addis Ababa, was established by Emperor Menelik II in 1886, further south than previous capitals, as a method of unifying the country. A period of modernization in the early twentieth century brought the railways, as well as craft and engineering skills from abroad. The Italian occupation later continued this process. The reign of Emperor Haile Selassie coincided with the independence of most African states from European colonization, and the establishment of continental and international organizations, commissioning Modernist buildings in the process.
One of these buildings was Africa Hall. It was a gift from Haile Selassie to serve as the headquarters of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, established in 1958. The Hall would also serve as a diplomatic space for newly independent African countries, and it hosted the founding of the Organisation of African Unity, the precursor of the African Union. Designed by Italian architect Arturo Mezzedimi, it is a monument of Modernist principles and features Italian Carrara marble, Ethiopian stone, and stained glass windows by artist Afewerk Tekle. The conservation project took care to restore the building to its original intentions, along with numerous pieces of furniture designed by the architect.
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Africa Hall was not the only building in Ethiopia designed by Arturo Mezzedimi. In fact, the architect spent a long period of his life designing more than a hundred buildings in the Horn of Africa region, including contributions to Eritrea’s extensive Art Deco and early Modern heritage. He is a reminder of how Modernism arrived in Africa partly through foreign-born architects. In Addis Ababa, he also designed the impressive City Hall building, completed in 1964. Also commissioned by the Emperor, it was positioned on a hilltop at the opposite end of Churchill Avenue from the train station.
City Hall was imagined by Mezzedimi as a civic palace, perhaps as a nod to his native Siena. A cluster of three buildings with an open space, it includes the council hall, a cinema, a theater, a library, a bar, a club, a restaurant, a panoramic terrace, as well as the city’s administrative offices. A central clock tower faces the open space and is reminiscent of Aksumite obelisks or Tuscan towers at once. As a whole, the building possesses a monumentality and architectural features rooted in its historical context, as well as clearly Modernist gestures such as its main volumes being raised on pilotis, and its relationship with the street running through it.
No mention of Modernism in Ethiopia is complete without the work of architect Michael Tedros. He was Ethiopia’s first formally trained architect, having studied in England and subsequently studied at the University of Pennsylvania under American architect Louis Kahn. In 1952, after concluding his role as the head architect of Addis Ababa, he was tasked with designing low-cost schools across the country. Notable buildings by Michael Tedros include the Filwoha Thermal Baths and Hotel. Inspired by Ethiopian dwellings, the complex is composed of hexagonal units arranged around a central court. The prefabricated concrete pyramidal roofs bring in daylight to the interiors.
Another is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building, designed with Israeli architect Zalman Enav in 1964. Commissioned during Haile Selassie’s modernizing drive, like Africa Hall and City Hall, it was intended to represent Ethiopia as a modern state. His original brief was for it to be a purely Modern building with glass facades modelled on the United Nations headquarters in New York. The architects did not think this was the right approach and proposed a five-story building, diamond in plan, with exposed structural concrete elements on the facade. These were explained as an abstracted Star of Solomon, an important symbol in Ethiopian (and Israeli) history, and the design was accepted. The plan included a diamond-shaped atrium that brings light and ventilation to the center of the building.
On Churchill Avenue are two significant buildings by one of Africa’s most prolific architects, Henri Chomette, a French architect later known for his works in francophone West Africa. Between 1953 and 1959, he was the city architect of Addis Ababa. His links with Ethiopia began when, as a young architect, his competition entry for the Imperial Palace came second. Africa offered an alternative environment for many French architects (including several who operated in Morocco); Chomette himself lamented the rigid technical focus in France at the time, and relished the freedom the continent to the south provided.
The National Theater of Ethiopia, completed in 1955, is the first of the two buildings. It was commissioned as part of a program to safeguard Ethiopian traditional arts in the face of rapid modernization and cultural exchange with the rest of the world. The old Cinema Marconi was chosen to be remodeled, and Chomette’s design expressed both his commitment to Modernist principles and local climate and craftsmanship. The second building is the Commercial Bank of Ethiopia. Its distinctive concrete shell, forming a rotunda, illustrates the design freedom Chomette enjoyed. The exposed concrete facade, formed into parabolic arches, requires no paint, while the dome is formed of concrete beams creating triangular roof lights.
The list of Modern buildings continues, with the National Museum. Support for establishing a National Museum built up over several decades, and one of its champions was Afewerk Tekle. Its Brutalist facade of bare concrete and narrow slit windows is typical of the Modernism of the late 1970s. It is famous for housing archaeological specimens, including the partial skeleton of Lucy, the remains of an Australopithecus afarensis hominid. Elsewhere, the Kennedy Library at the University of Addis Ababa, by American firm McLeod, Ferrara, and Ensign, was completed in 1967 as a diplomatic endeavor. It is characterized by the regular rhythm of its sculpted facade columns and large window bays with patterned screening.
Whilst Ethiopia did not go through a liberation process like other African countries, where Modernism was used symbolically to mark new independent nations, it did see itself as playing a key role in Pan-Africanism throughout. This coincided with Emperor Haile Selassie’s plans to expand the capital, modernize, and express progress through architecture. Thus, the country saw a similar history of Modernism compared to the rest of the continent, such as with the building types involved, the role of foreign architects, and the relationship between pure ‘International Style’ architecture and local climatic and aesthetic conditions.
This article is part of an ArchDaily series called “Rediscovering Modernism in Africa.” Many buildings from the Modern Movement in Africa are of high architectural quality. Despite being several decades old and historically important, they have only recently gained attention in international discussions. This series explores this rich history. As always, at ArchDaily, we greatly appreciate our readers’ contributions. If you have a project you think should be featured, please submit your suggestions.
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