The historic tenement house at 41 Marszałkowska Street in Warsaw has been secured in order to limit its progressive deterioration. This is to allow the late 19th-century building to survive until renovation work begins. Despite its poor appearance, the tenement house is an extremely valuable element of the buildings surrounding Plac Zbawiciela.
Marszałkowska 41 and the scope of work
At the beginning of February this year, inspectors from the Provincial Office for the Protection of Monuments in Warsaw conducted an inspection of the building to check the implementation of the security measures resulting from the decision of the Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Monuments, issued in 2023. The recommended measures were intended to halt the progressive destruction of the building until a full renovation could be carried out. During the inspection, it was confirmed that the wooden roof truss and roof sheathing had been cleaned and impregnated with anti-fungal, fire-retardant and insecticidal agents. The owner also cleaned and secured the balcony supports on the side of Marszałkowska Street and Plac Zbawiciela, filled in the plaster defects with appropriately selected material and ensured that multi-storey ceiling supports were installed in the front part, side wing and outbuilding of the monument. In addition, debris and waste were removed from the interior, and window openings without glass were covered. The measures taken will protect the structure and valuable elements of the interior design.
History and architecture of a late 19th-century tenement house
The tenement house was built in 1893-1894 on the initiative of Jan Sobierajski, who also served as the chief engineer supervising the construction. Already in 1895, the property was acquired by the Domański family. It was designed as a three-storey house with two front wings and one outbuilding. The façade facing Plac Zbawiciela has eight axes, while the one facing Marszałkowska Street has seven, with a gate passage located on the central axis. The structure of the tenement house is based on wooden ceilings, and the whole is covered with a low gable roof. The building is one of the few tenement houses on the odd-numbered side of Marszałkowska Street that survived World War II and the post-war reconstruction of the city. This is why it is so valuable and needs to be preserved in the best possible condition.
The wartime history of the building
Originally, the facades of the tenement house were decorated with impressive, elaborate decorations with motifs inspired by the Baroque and Renaissance styles. Unfortunately, in 1938-1939, in the wake of the then fashionable modernism, most of these decorations were removed, sparing only the ground floor. Some of the stucco work has also been preserved in the gate and interiors, and the original stained glass windows have survived in the stairwells facing the courtyard. During the Warsaw Uprising, Captain Antoni Kazimierz Dembowski “Lodecki”‘s company from the “Ruczaj” battalion operated here, maintaining their position until the end of the fighting. The building was partially burned down, but escaped demolition after the war. Marszałkowska 41 was quickly rebuilt and repopulated. Unfortunately, over the next few decades, it did not undergo any major renovation, which led to its disastrous condition.
Marszałkowska 41 and renovation prospects
In the 1990s, balconies that were in danger of collapsing were dismantled, and on 10 September 2008, the dilapidated tenement house was entered in the register of monuments. Shortly afterwards, the tenants and tenants of the premises were evicted because it posed a real threat. Since then, its condition has been steadily deteriorating, while the damaged and defaced façade has a very negative impact on the perception of the bustling and fashionable Plac Zbawiciela. The property is currently owned by Cristallum 66. According to the company, it is working on documentation to enable a general renovation to begin, which will restore the building to its proper technical condition and historical appearance. Let’s keep our fingers crossed for a quick and happy ending!
Sources: Mazovian Provincial Conservator of Monuments, warszawa.naszemiasto.pl,warszawa1939.pl
Read also:Warsaw|Tenement house|Facade|Interesting facts|Detail|whiteMAD on Instagram
Fragment of the tenement house in 1937 and 2020. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and Google Maps
Marszałkowska 41 shortly after the decorations were removed and in 2023. Source: State Archives in Warsaw and Mateusz Markowski/whitemad.pl
Plac Zbawiciela in the 1990s and in 2023. Photo: Marta Zielińska, Warsaw Social Archive, https://www.tubylotustalo.pl/spoleczne-archiwum and Mateusz Markowski/whitemad.pl
