The tenement house of the Union of Pensioners of the Polish Bank, also known as the Robinsons’ tenement house, is an exceptional example of luxury functionalist architecture from the 1930s. The building was constructed between 1935 and 1936 to a design by prominent architect Lucjan Korngold. The building, located at 18 Marszałkowska Street, is distinguished not only by its unique architectural design, but also by the fact that it survived the dramatic events of the Second World War almost intact.
The tenement house was originally an investment by Oskar Robinson’s family, but was acquired by the Union of Pensioners of the Polish Bank before it was completed. The architecture of the building, designed by Korngold, is characterised by elegance and functionality. The façade is clad in smooth slabs of yellow Podolia sandstone, which, combined with rustic inter-window posts and loggias, create a harmonious yet modern composition.
The entrance portal attracts particular attention – the entrance gate made of black basalt and the copper door give the whole building a luxurious feel. It is flanked by shop fronts. The facades of the outbuildings are smoothly rendered and painted in a light colour, and some elements are finished with clinker.
Behind the hammered copper glazed door is a luxuriously finished lobby with a floor paved with small ceramic tiles arranged in a geometric pattern and walls covered with stone slabs. The staircase also presents an elegant finish, with steps and landings made of marble, terrazzo and alabaster and a glass lift shaft located in the soul of the staircase.
The Robinson House is also notable for its durability thanks to its modern and resistant construction. The building escaped major damage during the Second World War, which meant that we can still admire the original layout of the building today, including one courtyard open towards the south.
The Robinson House just after its completion and today. Source: Mazovia Digital Library and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
After the war ended, the building quickly became part of the cultural life of post-war Warsaw. As early as 8 December 1945, the Guliwer theatre, which in time became one of the most important children’s theatres in the capital, was inaugurated in the hall of the Education and Arts Centre located in the tenement.
The building in 1939 and 2024. Source: National Archive in Warsaw and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The tenement at 18 Marszałkowska Street has also been recognised by contemporary conservationists. In 2012, the building was entered in the municipal register of monuments of the City of Warsaw, and three years later, on 30 November 2015, it was entered in the register of monuments. At the beginning of 2020, the renovation of the building was completed, during which, among other things, the stone cladding on the front elevation and the basalt portal were restored. The tenement then regained its former character and once again became a great pride and decoration of the initial section of Marszałkowska Street.
Source: zabytek.pl, klimatwarszawy.pl
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