Warsaw. A historic tenement house from the beginning of the 20th century in Prague

The tenement house in Prague from the beginning of the 20th century was entered into the register of monuments. The building survived World War II almost intact, and elements of its original design have been preserved to this day. Social activists from the Porozumienie dla Pragi association applied for it to be placed under conservation protection.

The tenement house is located at 13 Mała Street in Praga Północ. The decision to enter it into the register of monuments was made by the Masovian conservator of monuments. The entry covers the tenement house with an outbuilding and the surrounding area. “Administrative proceedings were initiated ex officio at the request of the social organization of the Porozumienie Dla Pragi association,” we read on the MWKZ Facebook profile.

After the war, the tenement house served as a lodging house

According to the findings of the conservator, the building was most likely built around 1906-1908. Initially, it belonged to the married couple Władysława and Romualnd Nazimek, then to priest Jan Skwara (in 1910), with whom the image of Vir Dolorum placed above the entrance gate should be connected.

“According to the preserved surveying plan from 1906, there was a 3-story brick tenement house with a side annex and a 1-story farm building in the north-eastern corner of the plot. In 1909, the property was divided into two parts (ul. Mała 13 and 13A). ), marking the border along the eastern façade of the front tenement house” – stated in message.

The next owners bought the property in 1930 – Zofia, née Przedpełska, and Eugeniusz Śpiewak. At that time, the tenement house was inhabited mainly by railway workers, workers, domestic help and students, and on the ground floor there was a grocery store by J. Nowicki. During World War II, the tenement house was not seriously damaged, and after 1945 it housed a lodging house. In 1960, the tenement house became the property of the State Treasury. According to the conservator, part of the detail of the front façade was probably removed in the 1960s.

Rich decorations contrast with modernist simplifications

“The artistic value of the building is expressed through the composition of its body, the design of the façade and the interior. Despite the damage to the plasters, the rich decoration combining historic architectural details (profiled window bands, pediments with floral decorations, consoles with acanthus motifs, palmettes) with the characteristic early modernism simplified (the form of passage and rustication)” – says the conservator.

As he mentions, similar combinations are also visible inside the building. When finishing it, “early modernist decoration of the doors of the utility rooms on the first floors, as well as modern terrazzo floors and metal balustrades were used, which contrasted with the interior design of the side staircase with wooden balusters and impressive, but traditional in form, arrangements of colorful floor tiles with geometric motifs and borders.” .

We also informed about the suspended demolition of the tenement house at Łucka 8: