The Próchnicki family’s corner tenement house at 70 Koszykowa Street in Warsaw is currently undergoing the most important stage in its post-war history. Renovation work has been underway since 2023 to reverse the effects of World War II and the simplifications of the 1960s. The building has already regained its missing floor and corner dome, but their form is only a reference to the early 20th-century design. The owner has opted for a more economical, modernised version.
Rebuilding instead of reconstruction
The decision to restore the top floor and dome was preceded by a permit issued by the Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Monuments. Such structures were popular among corner tenement houses at the beginning of the 20th century. At 70 Koszykowa Street, the investors decided to interpret the historical form, without faithfully recreating the condition prior to the destruction during the last war. The new roof has a different shape, the smaller dormers have been removed, and the larger ones have returned in a modified version. The corner cupola also differs from its original. Its proportions and finial have been modified, and some of the details it had before 1939 have not been restored.
Koszykowa 70 – scope of renovation
The top floor of the Próchnicki tenement house will be converted into modern flats with mezzanines. However, the work at Koszykowa 70 will not end with the completion of the superstructure. The façade, hallway and staircases are currently being renovated. The project also involves tidying up the appearance of the tenement house, including the removal of satellite dishes. All stages of the investment are supervised by the conservator. This applies to stratigraphic research, the selection of colours for the façades and stone elements, and the acceptance of individual works, which are approved by this office.
The Próchnicki tenement house and its turbulent history
The tenement house was built in 1913-1914 according to a design by Marian Kontkiewicz, commissioned by the Próchnicki family. The architect proposed a form inspired by neoclassicism and Art Nouveau, with elaborate decoration and an impressive corner dome. It was intended to emphasise and highlight the elegance of the building. The Second World War brought serious damage. Bombing stripped the building of its upper part and some of its intricate decorations, and post-war renovation in the 1960s further simplified the façade. Cornices, bas-reliefs and rustication gave way to smooth plaster, as a result of which the building lost its former finesse.
Koszykowa 70 in its new guise
Koszykowa 70 has gone down in the history of Warsaw not only for its architecture. Its walls housed representatives of the pre-war elite, including Józef Piłsudski and his family, and during the occupation, Norbert Barlicki, a PPS activist murdered in Auschwitz. The ongoing renovation has once again marked the presence of this building in the city centre, even if the new top differs from the pre-war original. The rebuilt dome and attic complete the composition of the corner tenement house, which has been waiting for this moment for 80 years.
Sources: Social Guardians of Monuments – Warsaw,warszawa1939.pl
See also: Architecture in Poland|Tenement house|Metamorphosis|Monument|Warsaw | whiteMAD on Instagram
