The Ara Pacis museum in Rome at its reopening in April 2006. The modernist building was dismissed as an eyesore. The Ara Pacis museum in Rome at its reopening in April 2006. The modernist building was dismissed as an eyesore. (Pier Paolo Cito/Associated Press)

Rome's new mayor has told Italian news agencies he would like to demolish the city's newest museum, the Ara Pacis, built near the Spanish steps.

Designed by U.S. architect Richard Meier, the museum has had its share of critics since it opened in 2006.

The modernist glass, marble and steel structure was dismissed by critics as an eyesore and compared to a giant gas station or a pizzeria.

It is the first modern building to rise in Rome's historic centre since the days of Benito Mussolini. It cost $24 million and took 10 years to build.

The museum houses the Ara Pacis, a 2,000-year-old altar to peace created by the Roman emperor Augustus.

Meier, a winner of architecture's Pritzker Prize, also designed the Getty Center in Los Angeles and the Museum of Contemporary Art in Barcelona.

Romans have been hostile toward modern architecture, especially in historic districts.

Mayor Gianni Alemanno, a right-winger who ran on a security platform targeting non-status immigrants, was elected last week and by Wednesday he was denouncing the museum.

"Meier's building is a construction to be scrapped," Alemanno said at a news conference, though he admitted it "isn't the top priority."

He said he planned to review other new public buildings erected by his left-leaning predecessors.

He was critical of former Mayor Walter Veltroni for paying more attention to ancient monuments and film festivals than to problems with the city's infrastructure and security.