Another Szczecin block is being stripped of its modernist roof structure. This time we are talking about the so-called ‘ant-house’ on Wyzwolenia Avenue. These elements served primarily as decoration to enrich the composition of the block and give it some character. This disturbing occurrence was brought to our attention by one of our readers.
Work has been going on for several days on the roof of the block of flats at 30-44 Wyzwolenia Avenue to remove the openwork structure. A large part of the plastic element has already disappeared. Two years ago, finials were removed from the long block of flats on Odzieżowa Street, then from the neighbouring G-15 units
Block in July 2023. The modernist decoration is still in place. Photo author: Szczecinolog, Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0
Moloch of Wyzwolenia Avenue is a residential block designed by Tadeusz Ostrowski in the late 1960s. According to the monthly magazine Architektura (no. 10 of 1971), the building bore the title ‘Mister Szczecin 1968’, and additionally the title ‘Wicemister Szczecin 25-lecia PRL’. Architect Marcin Szneider compares the removal of steel constructions to “the removal of decorations from Art Nouveau townhouses due to the difficulty of maintaining them, but in this case, this would not even cross anyone’s mind. In the case of blocks of flats, these structures are not regarded as an artistic element, so they are removed willingly,” says the architect. Many buildings in the communist period were enriched with this type of modernist decoration. The structures, usually made of steel, were installed to add variety to the composition of a rather simple block. Unfortunately, they are increasingly disappearing from roofs, as they are yet another building element to maintain. Many see no aesthetic value in them, so they are thoughtlessly removed. However, you only have to look at the following comparison to see how much they mean to the perception of a building
We asked the Szczecin “Śródmieście” Housing Cooperative about the purpose of the ongoing dismantling work. As of the publication of this article, we have not received an answer
Source: wszczecinie.pl
Read also: Architecture | Modernism | Block | City | History | Szczecin
