Cristoforo Benigno Crespi (18 October 1833 in
Busto Arsizio
Busto Arsizio (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the province of Varese, in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the ...
– 5 January 1920 in
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
) was an Italian
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones.
An entreprene ...
.
Biography
He was the son of Maria Provasoli and Antonio Benigno “Toni Tengitt” Crespi, a descendant of a family of textile entrepreneurs from
Busto Arsizio
Busto Arsizio (; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the south-easternmost part of the province of Varese, in the Italy, Italian region of Lombardy, north of Milan. The economy of Busto Arsizio is mainly based on industry and commerce. It is the ...
. He was, therefore, brother of entrepreneur
Benigno Crespi. After briefly pursuing classical studies, he graduated in accounting. He finished the seminary without becoming a priest and began law school in
Pavia
Pavia ( , ; ; ; ; ) is a town and comune of south-western Lombardy, in Northern Italy, south of Milan on the lower Ticino (river), Ticino near its confluence with the Po (river), Po. It has a population of c. 73,086.
The city was a major polit ...
, which, however, he had to leave for economic reasons.
Aided by his father, he converted three different facilities located in three separate municipalities, resulting in the factories of:
Vaprio d'Adda
Vaprio d'Adda (Milanese: ; Bergamasque: ; locally ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Metropolitan City of Milan in the Italian region Lombardy, about northeast of Milan.
Vaprio d'Adda borders the following municipalities: Trezzo sull'Adda, ...
(1864),
Vigevano
Vigevano (; ) is a (municipality) in the province of Pavia, in the Italian region of Lombardy. A historic art town, it is also renowned for shoemaking and is one of the main centres of Lomellina, a rice-growing agricultural district. Vigevano ...
(1867) and
Ghemme
Ghemme is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region Piedmont, located on the river Sesia about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Novara.
It is the birthplace of architect Alessandro Antonelli and the ...
(1869); in the case of the Vaprio mill, he was also helped financially by Ercole Lualdi, but production at this plant was unprofitable due to the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
, which resulted in a consequent “famine” of cotton, thus affecting the European cotton industry. Therefore, towards the end of 1865, Cristoforo Benigno had to relinquish the Vaprio mill to Raimondo Visconti di Modrone in spite of himself. Following hereditary separation on the death of his father (1883), the Vigevano mill passed to his brother Giuseppe and the Ghemme mill to two other brothers (Carlo and Pasquale, the latter in turn separating in 1889 to found his own spinning mill in
Verona
Verona ( ; ; or ) is a city on the Adige, River Adige in Veneto, Italy, with 255,131 inhabitants. It is one of the seven provincial capitals of the region, and is the largest city Comune, municipality in the region and in Northeast Italy, nor ...
).
However, the name of the firm was retained in the name of his grandfather Benigno Crespi. Cristoforo Benigno purchased an additional spinning mill in
Baveno
Baveno is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, part of Piedmont, northern Italy. It is on the west shore of Lago Maggiore, northwest of Arona by rail.
To the north-west are the famous red granite quarries, which have ...
, which he later sold to his son
Silvio Crespi
Silvio Benigno Crespi (24 September 1868 in Milan – 15 January 1944 in Cadorago) was an Italian entrepreneur, inventor and politician. Firstborn of Cristoforo Benigno Crespi and Pia Travelli. He succeeded his father in running the firm of Cres ...
. Aspiring to set up his own factory, he fell back in February 1877, obtaining permission to use a water derivation from the
Adda River
The Adda (Latin: *Abdua*, or *Addua*; Lombard: *Ada*, or *Adda*) is a river in North Italy, a tributary of the Po. It rises in the Alps near the border with Switzerland and flows through Lake Como. The Adda joins the Po near Castelnuovo Boc ...
, which he intended to use as motive power for an erected spinning mill, between the towns of
Capriate San Gervasio
Capriate San Gervasio (Bergamasque: ; Milanese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy, northern Italy. , its population was 8,216.
The municipality is located about from Milan.
History
About two thousand years ago, t ...
and
Canonica d'Adda
Canonica d'Adda (Bergamasque: ; Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Bergamo.
It lies on the left bank of the river Add ...
; the following year he founded the factory and a workers' village, which in the complex took the name
Crespi d'Adda
Crespi d'Adda is a village in northern Italy and hamlet (''frazione'') of Capriate San Gervasio, a municipality in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy. It is a historic settlement and an outstanding example of the 19th and early 20th-century "comp ...
, introducing the most modern spinning systems of the time.
In 1879 he had a Moorish-style villa dedicated to his wife Pia Travelli, called
Villa Crespi, in
Orta San Giulio
Orta San Giulio (Piedmontese and ) is a town and (municipality) in the Province of Novara in the Italian region of Piedmont, located about northeast of Turin and about northwest of Novara. It is one of ("The most beautiful villages of Italy"). ...
, to be used as a summer residence, designed by architect Angelo Colla. In 1884 he moved his residence to
Milan
Milan ( , , ; ) is a city in northern Italy, regional capital of Lombardy, the largest city in Italy by urban area and the List of cities in Italy, second-most-populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of nea ...
, to the house at 18 Via Borgonuovo (built by builder/decorator Angelo Colla), where the company was based.
In 1897 a cotton textile industry was created in the
province of Milan
The province of Milan () was a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital was the city of Milan. The area of the former province is highly urbanized, with more than 2,000 inhabitants/km2, the third-highest population density among Ital ...
and the factory and its worker village, called
Crespi d'Adda
Crespi d'Adda is a village in northern Italy and hamlet (''frazione'') of Capriate San Gervasio, a municipality in the province of Bergamo, Lombardy. It is a historic settlement and an outstanding example of the 19th and early 20th-century "comp ...
was built on the left bank of the river
Adda between the towns of
Capriate San Gervasio
Capriate San Gervasio (Bergamasque: ; Milanese: ) is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Bergamo, in Lombardy, northern Italy. , its population was 8,216.
The municipality is located about from Milan.
History
About two thousand years ago, t ...
and
Canonica d’Adda
Canonica d'Adda (Bergamasque: ; Milanese: ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Bergamo in the Italian region of Lombardy, located about northeast of Milan and about southwest of Bergamo.
It lies on the left bank of the river Add ...
where the flow of water provided hydroelectric energy to power the cotton looms. It was in full production until the economic crash of 1929 when the family went bankrupt but was still producing in limited output up until its closure in 2004. Descendants of the original workers still live in the village. It has been a
UNESCO World Heritage Site
World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...
since 1995.
He was a great art lover and amassed one of the most valued and rich collections of paintings, including paintings by Titian,
Canaletto
Giovanni Antonio Canal (18 October 1697 – 19 April 1768), commonly known as Canaletto (), was an Italian painter from the Republic of Venice, considered an important member of the 18th-century Venetian school.
Painter of cityscapes or ...
, and
Peter Paul Rubens
Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...
.
His son,
Silvio Benigno Crespi, was among the world's most powerful men at the time and signed the Treaty of Versailles at the end of the First World War on behalf of Italy.
What is Crespi d'Adda?
at www.villaggiocrespi.it
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Crespi, Cristoforo Benigno
1833 births
1920 deaths
People from Busto Arsizio
Crespi family