Daniela Soleri says her father, late Italian architect Paolo Soler, raped her and abused her throughout her childhood
The daughter of the late Italian architect Paolo Soleri claims that her father molested her throughout her childhood and attempted to rape her when she was 17 years old.
Daniela Soleri wrote a lengthy blog post for Medium in which she describes her father, who died in 2013 at the age of 93, as a ‘fierce narcissist’ whose celebrated work shielded him from any scrutiny about his behavior.
‘It was a clumsily literal dream that started in my early adolescence, when my father, an architect and craftsman, began sexually molesting me, eventually attempting rape when I was 17,’ she wrote.
‘It was a child’s solution to the problem posed by a man who I, and everyone around me, saw as the center of the universe.’
Daniela writes that she had first come forward about her experiences some 24 years ago, when she told people in her father’s inner circle.
Six years ago, Soleri resigned from the board of the Cosanti Foundation.
Arcosanti is Paolo Soleri’s architectural and ecological creation.
It is the home and studio that he and his wife founded when they moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1956.
In her letter, she explained the reason stemmed from her traumatic experience as a sexual assault victim.
‘In response to receiving my letter, one of my father’s long time colleagues and board member wrote ‘I am disappointed in everyone’,’ Daniela Soleri wrote.
Six years ago, Soleri resigned from the board of the Cosanti Foundation. Cosanti is Paolo Soleri’s architectural and ecological creation. It is the home and studio that he and his wife founded when they moved to Scottsdale, Arizona in 1956. He is pictured in 1976
Paolo Soleri is best known for Arcostanti, his vision of a self-sustaining, environmentally responsible architectural alternative to crowded big cities and suburban sprawl. He is pictured standing outside his underground concrete house in Cosanit, situated in the Arizona desert
‘A strange reaction from a man I had known since I was seven.
‘Two years later he presided at a memorial seminar eulogizing Soleri and his work.
‘His message seemed to be that, yes, he’s disappointed that those things occurred, but he’s equally disappointed that they are being brought up, instead of silenced.’
Daniela writes that she sees many parallels between the reaction she received from her father’s ‘coterie’ and the culture that enabled Harvey Weinstein and other powerful figures to escape the consequences of their alleged sex crimes.
Paolo Soleri is best known for Arcostanti, his vision of a self-sustaining, environmentally responsible architectural alternative to crowded big cities and suburban sprawl
She also hints in her letter that she contacted the New York Times and presented the abuse allegations, but they didn’t run the story.
Paolo Soleri is best known for Arcostanti, his vision of a self-sustaining, environmentally responsible architectural alternative to crowded big cities and suburban sprawl.
The experimental micro-city exists to this day in Yavapai County, Arizona – about 70 miles north of Phoenix.
The legacy of Arcosanti is considered significant since it has inspired architects and urban designers who studied and worked with him.
Daniela Soleri writes that she and her sister had tolerated their father’s behaviour by ‘swallowing [their] hurt and anger’ and ‘relinquishing a sense of self.’
She writes that an incident in January 2011 when her father made her daughter cry because of an act of ‘petulant selfishness’ was a wake-up call.
‘Here was the transgenerational transmission of trauma described by psychologists being acted out before my eyes, as I had also acted it out so many times as well,’ she writes.
‘The absurdity of constructing workarounds that ignore your own sense of self, self defense, and of right and wrong, in deference to this man became obvious, finally.
‘I believe resilience requires toughness. I had thought I was being tough and resilient, but I was deluding myself.’
The Cosanti Foundation board says they support Daniela and will ‘reconsider his legacy’ in the wake of her open letter.
‘We are saddened by Daniela Soleri’s trauma. Her decision to speak out about her father’s behaviour towards her helps us confront Paolo Soleri’s flaws, and compels us to reconsider his legacy,’ the president of the board Jeff Stein told Dezeen.
‘With Paolo Soleri’s creative intelligence, he understood the need for discipline and limits to the urban form. However, his narcissism prevented him from understanding the need for discipline and limits on abusive behavior. We support and stand firmly with Daniela.’
Soleri designed Acrosanti in the 1970s in a bid to show that urban conditions could be improved while making a limited impact on the Earth
The idea was to house around 5,000 people in the community of lavish buildings. The population has varied between 50 and 100 people, and mostly consists of students and volunteers
Many of the buildings blend into the landscape and give off vibrant colors. The Cosanti Foundation board says they support Daniela and will ‘reconsider his legacy’ in the wake of her open letter
The collection of buildings in Arcostani in the Arizona desert blend into the landscape. Soleri lived at the compound and used it as his studio until his death in 2013
The Bell Tower at Acrosanti has several staircases leading to rooms that showcase Soleri’s work