The Old Printing House is a 120-year-old historic building at the junction of Św. Ducha and Dworcowa Streets in Szczecin. Work began in 2020, after which the building will regain its former splendour. The edifice will once again be decorated with a rich façade, and the interior will be adapted to new functions. The Emelem company, which is the investor, plans to create a conference and event centre there with an atmospheric jazz club, three restaurants and unprecedented wedding space and flats. The design for the renovation of the old printing house was prepared by Warsaw-based studio Tremend, which will also handle the interior design
The Tremend architects have a double task here, as the project involves a thorough renovation of both the body of the building and its interiors. The top floor of the building, which was added in the post-war period to house the printing presses, has been removed. It has been replaced by two additional levels. Their new steel construction will be visually light and the glazing will make it integrate with the historic block. In addition, the facades are being renovated and the interiors will gain new functions and design. The renovation of the building, designed by the Tremend studio, aims to restore its former splendour
The building in the early 20th century. Photo: staradrukarniaszczecin.pl
The history of the building began in March 1900, when the H. B. Juda company bought two building plots on Św. Ducha Street from the city. The company was involved in the production of men’s clothing. It had representative offices in Hamburg, Oslo, Copenhagen, Amsterdam and Melbourne. A department store was to be built on the plots. The author of the project was O. Zimmermann. The design was kept in neo-Baroque forms with elements of Art Nouveau, and the ground floor of the building was to be occupied by trade stands and the upper floors by warehouses. Work began as early as July 1900 and construction of the Juda department store was completed in 1901. The ground floor of the building accommodated a restaurant and a vegetable shop, while the first and second floors were used for warehouses. The top floor was rented out to the editorial office and printing house of the newspaper “Stettiner Abendpost”. In the 1930s the historical decoration was stripped and the form of the corner tower was simplified. The building did not suffer any damage during the Second World War. After the war, in 1945, State Printing House No. 1 was opened in the building in Św. Ducha Street, where, among other things, “Wiadomości Szczecińskie”, “Pionier Szczeciński” and “Kurier Szczeciński” were printed
The old printing house at the beginning of the 20th century and after renovation. Source: staradrukarniaszczecin.pl
In the following years (1953) the printing house was taken over by Szczecińskie Zakłady Graficzne. Between 1983 and 1986 a devaluing reconstruction of the building was carried out, adding an extra storey. In 1995, Szczecińskie Zakłady Graficzne S.A. sold the property to another company. The old printing works changed hands several more times. No renovation work was carried out on the building for many years. In fact, since the 1990s the building has stood closed and abandoned, slowly decaying. Eventually, the building on Św. Ducha Street was passed into the hands of another company. From then on, no renovation work was carried out until 2020, when the first restoration work, the collection of materials and the many other projects that were necessary to begin restoring the former glory of this remarkable place on the map of Szczecin began
The old printing house before and after renovation. Source: staradrukarniaszczecin.pl
In the future, it will be possible to admire the preserved historical elements of the building, if only by visiting one of the three planned restaurants. The original elements are present on various floors. Thanks to the investment, Szczecin will be enriched by an unusual place where history and modernity, the spirit of the past and forward-looking solutions meet
As a port city at the beginning of the 20th century, Szczecin was a kind of window on the world. It was here that ships with goods from overseas arrived. In the Juda department stores’, located on the ground floor of today’s old printing house, it was possible to buy clothes made from foreign materials, as well as tobacco, cocoa and alcohol in the neighbouring colonial shop. This exoticism of the goods and the atmosphere of the place at the time served the Tremend architects as inspiration for the interior design. In this case, eclecticism in the broadest sense combines not only different styles but also cultures
The architects have created interiors that are a kind of postcard sent from various ports during a voyage around the world. Here you will find unparalleled vegetation inspired by the Amazon jungle, African colours – green, gold and red – intertwining with each other, and to complete this exotic journey, a giant giraffe welcoming guests in the lobby. The interiors of the renovated print shop will also have no shortage of references to the “Art Nouveau” style of the time, which was popular until the outbreak of the First World War and later Art Deco. The dark colours of the walls, the soft velour fabrics of the chairs and curtains, the lamps with decorative lampshades with fringes introducing a mysterious boudoir atmosphere
EMELEM Sp. z o.o. is an investor that realises projects such as hotels, restaurants and flats. Examples include the KARKUT restaurant on Bogurodzica Street or the award-winning townhouse at 22 3 Maja Street (currently the GRAND Focus Hotel)
Source: staradrukarniaszczecin.pl
Read also: Architecture | Hotel | Metamorphosis | Renovation | Monument | History | Szczecin
