The tenement house located at Berezyńska 16 in Warsaw’s Saska Kępa is an interesting example of pre-war functionalist residential architecture. The building was erected in the late 1930s to a design by architect Stanisław Barylski. Although it is not certain that its construction was completed before the outbreak of World War II, the tenement has survived to this day largely in its original form.
The tenement was built between 1938 and 1939 by Dr. Józef Szymanowicz of Kraków, who commissioned its design from the architect Stanisław Barylski for his daughter Wanda. The building was intended for residential purposes as a multi-family house, consisting of six flats and a garage for two cars. Wanda Szymanowiczówna’s stylised initials – “WS” – were placed on a decorative grille at the entrance to the building.
Berezyńska 16 – Alina Zienowicz (Ala z), CC BY-SA 3.0 PL, via Wikimedia Commons
It is unclear whether the investment was completed before the outbreak of war, as in August 1939 Wanda applied for a loan from the Bank Gospodarstwa Krajowego for further construction work. As a result of the war effort between 1939 and 1944, the townhouse suffered significant damage. After the war, between 1945 and 1946, the Bureau for the Reconstruction of the Capital carried out renovation work, which included repairs to the stairs, roofing, balcony railings and windows and doors. The façade remained untouched at the time. In 1955, by a decision of the Presidium of the National Council, the tenement house became the property of the State Treasury and was then handed over to the Housing Community.
The tenement standing at 16 Berezyńska Street is a detached building with an area of 532 square metres, built in the spirit of functionalism. It was designed on a rectangular plan with a two- and three-bay layout on all levels. The staircase is located in the front course, offset to the east, and a garage is located at the east elevation. The building is characterised by a distinctive bipartite massing, with a slight difference in height between the different parts. The front façade has been designed with a prominent ‘thermometer’ type window that illuminates the staircase. The taller section occurs on the north and west sides of the façade, and the building is three storeys high and has a full basement.
The facades of the building are made of sandstone, and the lower part of the facade is covered with rusticated panels of the same material. The eastern façade, overshadowed by a low garage, also features sandstone elements, while the southern façade is enlivened by balconies that extend along its length. On the west façade, horizontal luxuriant windows have been designed. The walls of the building are densely covered with Second World War memorabilia – bullet marks resulting from fierce fighting and shelling, which gives the building a unique and historical character as a tangible witness of those tragic times. Inside, the building’s original furnishings have been preserved, including a two-bay reinforced concrete staircase with terrazzo steps, wooden parquets and floors made of so-called “gorse tiles”, as well as wooden door and window frames, some of which have survived to the present day.
The interiors of the townhouse are divided into six flats, each with an original layout including kitchens, bathrooms, toilets and servants’ quarters. The flats vary in size – the eastern flats are smaller, comprising two rooms, while the western flats have three rooms. The largest flat, originally owned by Wanda Szymanowiczówna, had a spacious hall decorated with ceiling recesses with concealed lighting.
The current technical condition of the tenement leaves much to be desired. The facades of the building have dirt and the balcony panels are crumbling and soggy in many places. The cellars are also very damp and the property is in urgent need of renovation to bring out its former elegance and character.
The townhouse is a valuable example of pre-war residential architecture. Due to its historical and architectural qualities, the building has been entered in the register of historical monuments and still impresses with details characteristic of the modernist style of the 1930s. The facades, densely covered with battle and shelling damage, are a poignant reminder of the difficult times of the Second World War. There are fewer and fewer such buildings in the capital’s landscape, which only emphasises the value of the Berezyńska Street building.
Source: zabytek.pl
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