Some of the most impressive tenement houses in the capital still stand at Unii Lubelskiej Square. Fortunately, they escaped serious damage during the Second World War and were luckier than buildings located in the city centre. One of them is the tenement house of Adam Bromke standing at 14 Bagatela Street
The impressive property was built between 1911 and 1913 in the style of early modernism. It was designed by L. Panczakiewicz or A. Daniszewski (sources cite different architects). The tenement was built as a private house for the owner of Przedsiębiorstwo Robót Budowlanych A. Bromke, located at 11 6 Sierpnia (Nowowiejska) Street
Photo: whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
Even before the outbreak of World War II, the sculptural groups decorating the facade of the building from the side of the square, Szucha Avenue and Bagatela Street were removed. The building was not seriously damaged during wartime activities, but during the renovation in 1948, some decorative elements were removed from the façade. The top of the façade on the corners facing Unii Lubelskiej Square is still topped by two slender turrets. After the war, the building’s ground floor housed one of the first International Press and Book Clubs – Empik – with an offer of 180 magazines from 30 countries. Adam Bromke’s tenement house has been in need of renovation for years and its condition is steadily deteriorating. It is mostly derelict, which may come as a shock given its majesty and location. A bad omen is the netting installed in case fragments of plaster fall
1963 and 2023, Lublin Union Square. Photo: Z. Siemaszko and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
1967 and 2023: “The elevation of the building of the Main Board of the RSW “Prasa” – from the side of Unii Lubelskiej Square.” – the older photo comes from the weekly Stolica no. 19 (1013) 06.05.1967.
Unia Lubelska Square itself was laid out as part of the Stanislawski Founding, on the border of what was then Warsaw. In the twentieth century, representative tenement houses began to be erected there, among which the high ceiling was set by the nine-storey Kacperski tenement house, which we wrote about HERE. Later, other buildings were erected which tried to match the then tallest Warsaw tenement house. The challenge was further raised by the aviator monument by Edward Witting, erected on the square in 1932. On Polna Street, in the immediate vicinity of Plac Unii Lubelskiej, the fire brigade building was erected in 1936, one of the few realised projects from the period of Stefan Starzyński’s presidency. Plac Unii from 2013 was the last great project. Unfortunately, the legendary Supersam, which was a real hit when it was built, fell victim to the square’s expansion
Source: polskaniezwykla.pl, terrierdesign.wordpress.com
Read also: Architecture | Tenement | City | Warsaw | Architecture in Poland
