Just before Christmas, the former kiosk booth, which was located in the central part of the canopy of the Warsaw Downtown Commuter Rail stop, disappeared. The bus stop canopy has had monument status for several years, and the removal of the former kiosk allowed the modernist structure to be exposed.
The canopy of the Warszawa Śródmieście WKD stop was built in 1963 to a design by Arseniusz Romanowicz and Piotr Szymaniak. The structure was entered in the register of movable monuments in 2020. Why movable? Because the canopy is not permanently attached to the ground, it has no foundations. Jakub Lewicki, conservator at the time, pointed out that the object ‘constitutes an impressive and at the same time functional crowning of the bus stop, being at the same time its most valuable architectural element, creating a distinctive accent in the urban space’.
The dynamic form of the canopy is a unique example of post-war modernism. Such forms are no longer built today. The asymmetrical lines of the supports are a valuable architectural feature. The soft curves of the concrete shell give the canopy an expressive form.
The Swiss architecture critic Werner Huber described the stations and train stops designed by Arseniusz Romanowicz and Piotr Szymaniak as “pearls on rails”. With these words, he appreciated the light and streamlined canopies, shelters or buildings of the stations.
This is how the canopy looked with the shed in the middle:
The value of modernist buildings has finally been recognised, which is why the removal of an ugly box from under the canopy of the Warszawa Śródmieście WKD stop is welcome. The kiosk was removed by Zarząd Dróg Miejskich (City Roads Authority) in cooperation with the County Building Control Inspectorate. The kiosk had not been operating at this location for several years and was not part of the original design of the canopy from the 1960s.
The removal of the stall is just a small step to restore the canopy to its glory. For the time being, there are no known plans to restore the shelter. It is owned by the Polish State Railways (PKP) and its restoration will probably be possible as part of the reconstruction of the entire cross-city line.
photos: whiteMAD editorial team, MWKZ
source: Mazovian Voivodeship Historic Preservation Officer
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A canopy without the ugly shed:
