Leah Parker - Post #12 (Week of 11-3 to 11-7)

For my post today I picked one of the more famous pieces of architecture from around the world.  This is also definitely my favorite piece that I have submitted to the blog so far, I saved the best for last.  I chose the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the freestanding bell-tower of the cathedral of the Italian city of Pisa. This building is known worldwide for its unintended tilt to one side.  It is also known for being the 3rd oldest structure in Pisa's Cathedral Square.

  I chose this tower because, duh, the tilt is so interesting and strange!  What a tall building, but built so sturdily, that even with a tilt... it still stands!  The tower's tilt happened during the construction of the tower, as a result of inadequate foundation on the ground where the tower stands - the ground was too soft on one side to properly support the structure's weight, and overtime, sunk into itself.  The tilt increased gradually before the structure was even completed.  Later because it was so intense a tilt, they had to re-stabilize it (partially correct the tilt) in the late 20th century, early 21st century.  

This tower is also particularly interesting because there has been a lot of controversy surrounding the real identity of the architect who created the tower; for many years the design was attributed to the architects Guglielmo and Bonanno Pisano, who were well known resident artist/architects of the time.  However, more recent studies are indicative of the architect Diotisalvi as the original contributor during the time of creation!  What a mystery.