In Chiasso, the Centro Ovale changes hands again after Ellipticum's bankruptcy

The Centro Ovale in Chiasso has stood empty for eight years, a period marked by a string of failed revival projects. The latest, Ellipticum, ended in early September with the bankruptcy of the promoting company.

The project, unveiled but never officially confirmed in 2024, planned to fill the building with gaming, e-sports and multimedia activities. For two years an opening was announced but never materialised, until September 9, when the Mendrisio district court declared the company bankrupt. Ellipticum left behind unpaid debts to the Servizio idrico del Basso Mendrisiotto, the local water utility, and to the municipality of Chiasso for unpaid taxes. The company appealed the bankruptcy ruling and obtained a stay of execution: the case is now before the bankruptcy chamber of the cantonal appeals court, which is expected to rule in the coming days.

A new, still unclear owner

Meanwhile, the building has already changed hands again. According to RSI, a large multinational fashion company has taken over, though its plans for the building remain unclear: production, retail, or something else. Chiasso's mayor, Bruno Arrigoni, told RSI: "Non abbiamo ancora avuto un contatto diretto, lo abbiamo chiesto al loro avvocato e aspettiamo una risposta in questi giorni per un primo incontro conoscitivo" (we have not yet had direct contact, we asked their lawyer and expect a response in the coming days for a first introductory meeting).

On the new change of ownership, Arrigoni said: "Speriamo che con questo cambio sia la volta buona, in quanto avere questo stabile vuoto all'inizio di Chiasso, all'entrata dopo la dogana, è sicuramente un segnale negativo" (we hope this time will be the right one, since having this building empty at the entrance to Chiasso, right after the border crossing, is certainly a negative signal). Asked about the reasons for the repeated false starts, he had no clear answer: "Buona domanda. Abbiamo fatto esperienze in cui un progetto sembrava decollare ma alla fine si è arenato. Siamo da otto anni in una situazione di stallo, in alcuni casi c'erano investitori interessati ma per un motivo o per l'altro non si è arrivati a una soluzione. E questo, anche se non siamo coinvolti direttamente, per noi è un problema" (good question. We have had experiences where a project seemed to take off but eventually stalled. We have been at a standstill for eight years; in some cases there were interested investors, but for one reason or another no solution was reached. And even though we are not directly involved, this is a problem for us).

Opened in 2011 under the name Polaris, the Centro Ovale lost Migros as a tenant after just two years. The other shops closed one by one, until the building stood completely empty by 2018. Eight years and several projects later, the municipality is once again waiting for information, while unpaid tax claims remain outstanding and a strategically located building at the city's entrance continues to generate neither revenue nor jobs.