Among the eclectic buildings of Marszałkowska Street in Warsaw, at number 66, rises the historic tenement house of Isaac Rothberg. The historic but inconspicuous building is one of the few surviving witnesses of the pre-war development of this important artery of the city. Today, it stands abandoned, being only a pale shadow of its former grandeur and splendour and awaiting decisions that will restore its neo-Gothic qualities.
Design and construction
The tenement was designed by the well-known Warsaw architect Stefan Szyller, who, commissioned by the building entrepreneur Isaac Rothberg, created a design for the building in Neo-Gothic style with Renaissance influences. Construction was completed in 1894 and the architectural details were inspired by 15th and 16th century Cracow Gothic. Together with the neighbouring buildings at numbers 68 and 72, Rothberg’s tenement formed a coherent architectural ensemble in the style of the so-called Capital Neo-Gothic, with strong references to Vistula-Baltic forms.
Rothberg tenement during the Second World War
The turbulent history of Warsaw left its mark on the Rothberg tenement house. During the German occupation, there was a secret passage in the wall between numbers 66 and 68, cleverly hidden behind a wardrobe. It was through this passage that people fled from round-ups organised by the Nazis. A trace of this passage is still preserved today in the form of a cavity in the north wall of the tenement. In August 1944, during the Warsaw Uprising, the insurgents captured a section of Marszałkowska Street, including the building at number 66.
War damage and reconstruction
Fortunately, the townhouse survived the turmoil of the Second World War, although not unscathed. The corner of the building was damaged, resulting in the destruction of the characteristic six-sided helmet. The northern wall, overgrown with grapevine and bordering the Writers’ House courtyard, still bears bullet marks. After the war, the tenement avoided demolition and its inhabitants undertook private repairs to the roof and ceilings. Already in the first post-war years, the building regained its service and craft function. In the 1950s, however, the rich stucco was removed from both facades and covered with grey plaster. Despite voices about its architectural worthlessness and other plans to develop the plot, the building survived.
The tenement house after 1945 and problems with restoration
The building has only undergone minor technical renovations in recent decades. Despite numerous appeals for urgent renovation, the city’s explanation was a lack of funding. The issue of the neglected monument returned in 2016, when the City Is Ours association drew attention to the difficult financial situation of Sabina Rzeczkowska, a participant in the Warsaw Uprising who, after the war, together with her husband Kazimierz, took part in the reconstruction of the tenement. In 2012, the building was entered in the municipal register of historical monuments of Warsaw, and in 2020 in the register of immovable monuments of the Mazowieckie Voivodeship.
Neo-Gothic details and interior of the tenement house
The tenement house of Isaac Rothberg is one of the few surviving works among the approximately 150 residential houses designed by Stefan Szyller. The facades of the building, although transformed in the 1950s, still retain the characteristic layout and some details such as the original windows, balconies with ornaments and wrought metal balustrades, and stained glass fanlights. The townhouse also has the original gate passage with cross vaults and moulded portal frames, as well as Gothic detailing on the door leading to the main staircase. The elevations were once decorated with neo-Gothic stepped gables, of which the southern one on the Wilcza Street side has survived to this day. The original Gothic numerals “18…94” and a metal weathervane can be seen on it. The front and side façades are linked by a truncated corner with an oriel window. It was topped by a cupola until 1944.
The interior of the building also conceals valuable details. The building has preserved the rich decoration of the staircases and flats. Although today it is covered with the dust of time, it still arouses admiration and reminds us of the former magnificence of the monument. It features not only fine stucco, but also high-quality wooden joinery and marble staircases.
The Rothberg House and its future
The future of the Rothberg Tenement is currently the subject of a dispute among Warsaw councillors. Councillors from the Civic Coalition argue that the city cannot afford the costly renovation, estimated at around 80 million zlotys. The opposition, on the other hand, including councillors from the Law and Justice party and the Miasto Jest Nasz (City Is Ours) association, are in favour of using the premises in the tenement for housing. Despite being entered in the register of monuments and the conservation officer’s consent to a possible sale, the fate of the abandoned tenement remains uncertain. Its value has been estimated at over PLN 31 million.
Source: warszawa1939.pl, propertydesign.pl, wikipedia.pl
Read also: Architecture | Tenement house | Curiosities | City | Warsaw | Architecture in Poland
Tenement house in 1938 and 2025. Source: National Archive in Warsaw and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
The damaged corner in the 1940s and today. Source: National Archives in Warsaw and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
Marszałkowska Street on a postcard from the early 20th century and today. Source: Polona and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski
