The palace belonging to Robert Whitehead (inventor of the torpedo, together with Giovanni Luppis) was nominated a Venetian House thanks to its architectonic associations with the Venetian Gothic. It was built in 1888. Beside it, the palace in Dolac Street also includes elements of other past styles, such as High Renaissance and Viennese Baroque. The architect, Giacomo Zammattio was responsible for this type of cosmopolitism at the end of the 19th century, following Whitehead’s wish to turn Rijeka into a cosmopolitan centre. It was also the wish of mayor Ciotta.
Whitehead invested capital in the construction of another three residential buildings in that street. One of his stimulations was the large increase in the number of inhabitants in the city which was growing day by day, and especially the increase in number of the administration staff. On one end, the street received the magnificent building of the Elementary School for boys (today’s Liceo) whilst at the other, was the large building for the Elementary School for girls (today’s University Library).
