Its glory years are long gone, but this is about to change. The tenement house at 18 Podgórna Street in Bytom will soon be renovated. The historic building has many ornaments and is one of the most impressive 19th century buildings in the city.
The tenement house was built in 1897, according to a design by the famous Berlin architect Albert Bohm. For many years, the building had stood abandoned. It was as if the whole world had forgotten about it. However, the Bytom City Hall informs us that the tenement will once again enjoy the eyes of the inhabitants. At the end of August, scaffolding was erected at the corner building, heralding the start of work.
The building is a valuable example of late 19th century architecture. Its numerous ornaments, stucco decorations or historic metalwork, testify to the design craftsmanship and underline its beauty. The corner tenement has a brick façade and there is a turret at the corner. The tenement belonged to the brothers Simon and Leopold Guttmann – sons of Jakob Guttmann – the rabbi of Breslau. They also owned three other buildings in Bytom’s Market Square (at numbers 3, 4, and 8).
At the beginning of the 20th century, the tenement house was rebuilt. Inside, the wall layouts were changed, dividing the flats into smaller ones. The shop windows were also rebuilt. After World War II, the damaged roof was repaired and the helmet was removed from the corner turret.
The owner of the building has already received permission from the conservation officer to start the work. The roof will be replaced first. The next step will be the restoration of the façade. All historical elements will be restored and missing details reconstructed. These two stages are expected to be completed next year. The replacement of windows and doors is also planned.
Importantly, all wooden ceilings have already been removed and replaced with new reinforced concrete ones in 2022. The owner wants commercial premises to start operating on the ground floor after the renovation. A café or restaurant could be located here. Will there be flats above? This remains to be seen, as the development concept for the entire building is being analysed.
photos: H. Klimek, A. Janocha, Bytom City Hall archives
Read also: Metamorphosis | Tenement | Elevation | Brick | Bytom | whiteMAD on Instagram
