A redevelopment of an office building formerly known as Miastoprojekt is underway in Krakow, causing concern among residents and heritage conservationists. The aim of the modernisation of the building, which is listed in the municipal register of historical monuments and is under conservation protection, is to transform it into a Nobu chain hotel. However, the way in which the work is being carried out raises serious concerns about preserving the original substance of the building and its historic character.
Daria Gosek-Popiołek, a Krakow MEP, requested that the Małopolska Voivodeship Historic Preservation Officer carry out an inspection at the site. As she pointed out, she had received numerous signals from residents and councillors concerned about the extent of the work being carried out. In her letter to the conservator, Katarzyna Urbańska, the MP stresses that the building is covered by a local plan providing for its protection and that photographs shared on social media show extensive interference in its massing.
On social media, Gosek-Popiolek wrote that the building, where the urban planning projects for Nowa Huta and the Baghdad development plan were created, is now almost completely emptied of its original substance. She attached photographs to the entry showing the demolished interiors and dilapidated window dressing. The MP pointed out that the development is being carried out for the Nobu Hotel, owned by a chain co-founded by actor Robert De Niro, which she added conflicts with the idea of preserving local heritage. In her position paper, the parliamentarian called for the immediate intervention of the conservation services and full transparency of the investor’s actions. She also expressed her opposition to a situation in which historic buildings disappear into silence, making way for profit-driven commercial developments.
History of the building
The Miastoprojekt headquarters was built in the first half of the 1950s, during the period of domination of socialist realism in architecture. The building was designed by Józef Gołąb, a pre-war architect known for his projects in the style of Krakow Modernism. Under the new political system, his work took on a more disciplined form, in line with the principles of the doctrine in force at the time. Erected on the south side of Błonia, the building had a representative character and was intended for 360 employees of the newly established design office. Its reinforced concrete structure was designed by Stanisław Zydroń. The building was distinguished by its axial layout, symmetrical composition of the elevation and details referring to the classicist forms of socialist realism. Attention was drawn to the monumental entrance portal and the decorative design of the interiors, especially in the lobby and staircase.
Completed in 1955, the building quickly became one of the most important design centres in Poland. It was in its studios that plans for Nowa Huta were created, designs for housing complexes for the developing Kraków, and studies for foreign cities, including Baghdad and Tunis. Over the following decades, Miastoprojekt was a symbol of the development of post-war urban planning and a place where many outstanding architects worked. After 1956 Józef Gołąb abandoned socialist realism and began designing in the spirit of modernism, leaving behind numerous realisations which are now counted among the most interesting examples of post-war architecture in Krakow. The Miastoprojekt building itself, despite the passage of years, has retained its original character and constitutes a priceless element of the city’s post-war heritage.
Miastoprojekt and its heritage in the shadow of investments
The current reconstruction works seem to contradict this, however, and the view of the “gutted” building raises the question: where are the limits of permissible interference in a historic structure? For many Cracovians, the Miastoprojekt is a place of symbolic importance for the history of the city and its post-war development. This is why the way in which the investment is being carried out is facing criticism and growing public opposition. The matter of the redevelopment of the building will now be the subject of a conservator’s inspection.
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Source: Krakow Modernism Route, dziennikpolski24.pl
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Kraków | Modernism | Socialist Realism | Facade | Hotel
