Grochów, one of the oldest districts in Warsaw’s Praga-Południe district, hides numerous architectural treasures, one of which is the house at 12 Kalenska Street. This building, known as the oldest house in Grochów, has finally received the attention of the municipal authorities, who plan to renovate it as part of the Municipal Revitalisation Programme until 2030. There has also been an idea to not only renovate the building, but also to move it to another location.
The property was built in 1919 on the initiative of Zofia and Kazimierz Burczyński, even before this part of the city was incorporated into Warsaw. A small, one-storey brick building with a mansard roof covered with tar paper used to surround the garden. Construction was carried out using materials obtained from the Russian military fortress Grochów. After the end of the Second World War, under the so-called Bierut Decree, the building became the property of the city and its interiors were used for communal housing. Although the building has undergone various renovation works over the years, its condition has gradually deteriorated over time.
The house at 12 Kalinska Street in 2020. Photo by Adrian Grycuk, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons
In 2011, the house was entered in the provincial register of monuments, and a year later in the municipal register. In 2023, the conservation officer placed it under even stricter protection by listing the historic building in the register of monuments. The last tenants left the house in 2017. The building is currently out of use due to its poor technical condition. The Praga-Południe district authorities have proposed to modernise it as part of the Communal Revitalisation Programme. It is to be renovated under the supervision of a conservator and to serve a usable role.
There has also been an idea to move the building to another location to give it better exposure, such as the Błonia Kamionkowskie. A councillor of the Praga-Południe district, Dorota Spyrka, expressed her reservations about this solution. In her opinion, the renovation of the building in its current location would have a positive impact on the revitalisation of this part of Grochów, while Błonia Kamionkowskie already looks good. The councillor is also concerned that the attractive location of the property will attract the attention of developers who may want to carry out large-scale housing developments in the area, which do not fit in with the character of the neighbourhood.
The building at 12 Kalenska Street is an important part of Grochow’s cultural heritage. It has survived the difficult times of both wars and the post-war changes, now constituting a unique example of historicising suburban architecture from the early 20th century – unparalleled in this part of Warsaw. Its mass, layout of rooms and few preserved architectural details testify to the rich history of this place. Saving it from total ruin is a priority for the city authorities and the local community.
The Praga-Południe district, as Councillor Spyrka points out, does not always care enough about the historic pre-war houses in Grochów. Many of them, despite being part of the local identity, have disappeared in recent years. The city authorities are now faced with an important choice – whether to continue to preserve the existing buildings and restore the historic buildings as architectural heritage, or to follow the path of new developments that may introduce an undesirable change to the neighbourhood’s landscape.
Source: raportwarszawski.pl, warszawa.naszemiasto.pl
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