On 3 Maja Street in the centre of Katowice stands the Pod Butem tenement house – a building with an unusual, almost fairytale-like façade. It was built in 1903 and four years later the western part of the building was added. The design of the original property came from the pencil of Hugo Grünfeld, a respected architect and co-owner of the Ignatz Grünfeld Baugeschäft construction company. Today it is an excellent example of Art Nouveau with elements of Neo-Gothic and early Modernism, typical of the turn of the 20th century. The building is distinguished by its rich sculptural detailing, which places it among the most remarkable monuments of Katowice.
The Tenement House Under the Boot – history and origin of the name
Before the present tenement house was built, its site was occupied by the House of Shoes belonging to Fritz Kochmann, a Jewish merchant from Katowice. It was he who spearheaded the construction of a modern residential and commercial house to emphasise the prestige of his business. Kochmann left a lasting trace of his profession by placing a bas-relief depicting a shoe above the entrance. It was this inconspicuous detail that became the symbol of the building and gave it its current name. In the following years, the ground floor of the building housed well-known shops and service outlets, including a shoe salon, the Wasserthell brothers’ textile shop, Centrala Światła and Wedel’s confectionery. At the time, 3 Maja Street was one of Katowice’s most representative thoroughfares, full of elegant shop windows and lively establishments.
The style and architectural layout of the tenement house with its oak façade
The tenement was built on an L-shaped plan, with an annexe in the southern part of the plot. The older part, numbered 6, represents Art Nouveau with a touch of Neo-Gothic, while the younger part, numbered 8, has more modernist features. The six-storey building was built of red clinker bricks and its body is varied by bay windows, loggias and decorative cornices. The front elevation is the most striking, with its asymmetrical layout enlivened by carved motifs of trees, branches and oak leaves. The central bay window is decorated with a balcony loggia, and an ornamental gable with a wavy line rises above it. Plant decoration also appears around the entrance portal and within the frieze, so that the façade as a whole maintains its compositional integrity.
The Tenement House Under the Butte – details and interior
The interiors of the tenement have retained some of the original decor from the early 20th century. In the hallway you can see the floor and walls tiled with ceramic tiles with stylized leaf motifs, and in the staircase – a balustrade with a baluster form. Antique tiled cookers and wooden door frames also survive in some flats. In the interwar period, the building enjoyed great prestige and was regarded as one of the more elegant townhouses in the city centre. After World War II, some of the premises were converted into council flats, but the building did not essentially lose its splendour.
Protection and renovation of the monument at 6-8 3 Maja Street in Katowice
In 1989, the Pod Butem tenement was entered in the register of monuments of the Silesian Voivodeship. In 2004, it underwent a comprehensive renovation, including repairing the façade and modernising the interior. Further works took place in 2013-2014 and concerned the inner courtyard, which was raised by one level. Thanks to these measures, the building regained its former splendour and became one of the better preserved examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Katowice. Today, the building at 6-8 3 Maja Street is a priceless reminder of the city’s dynamic development at the beginning of the 20th century and a testimony to the craftsmanship of Silesian architects and craftsmen.
Source: zabytek.pl
Photos: A frame for history
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