The building's site originally consisted of terraced fields, which were incorporated into the garden of the nearby Villa St Ignatius in the early 19th century. In the 1920s, the villa and its grounds were divided and sold off, and the first part of the former garden to be built up was Balluta Buildings. The apartment block was constructed in 1928 for the Marquis John Scicluna, and it was designed by the architect Giuseppe Psaila. The building's name is derived from the oak trees which grew in the area in front of it, that also gave the bay its name. The building originally contained some of the largest and most luxurious apartments in Europe, and it became a prestigious address in Malta. Due to rental laws, many of the tenants and their heirs kept the apartments for a small nominal rent. Out of the twenty apartments, sixteen remain in the hands of the tenants' heirs, three have returned into the possession of the owners, and one was sold to a third party. Some food outlets occupy shops at the buildings' street level. The building remains intact and in relatively good condition, although it is in need of restoration. It is scheduled as a Grade 1 monument, and it is listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.
Architecture
Balluta Buildings is one of the finest among the few surviving Art Nouveau buildings in Malta, and it is also regarded as Psaila's masterpiece and one of the most iconic buildings in the country. It consists of three connected blocks of flats, with three vertical structures having long vertical arched openings protruding from the rest of the building. These are topped with keystones decorated with a carved putto. The openings are flanked with a row of double windows and pilasters on either side. Each block is topped by a pediment, and the architraves below each have inscriptions which read BALLUTABUILDINGS and A.D. MCMXXVIII. The windows, pilasters and other parts of the building display intricate floral and geometric decorations. The blocks are joined together with verandahs on the lower floors and a plain façade on the upper levels. A structure which contains a number of shops buttresses the entire building at street level, contributing to its three-dimensional quality. The building is constructed out of local limestone. The twenty apartments within the block are large and luxurious, and they have high ceilings and columns. The interior is decorated with traditional Maltese tiles. The ironwork used throughout the building is of high quality, and it is uncertain whether this was the work of Psaila or another artisan.
