At 32 Narutowicza Street in Łódź, preparations are underway for a comprehensive renovation of one of the city’s most characteristic buildings, the Auerbach tenement house. This unusual building from the end of the 19th century, decorated with fantastic bats with human faces, has been arousing the admiration and curiosity of passers-by for years. Despite its undoubted originality, it is in a deplorable state, but will soon regain its lost splendour.
The tenement house of the Auerbach brothers, or rather Chaim Mordka and Gersh Auerbach, was built in 1896 according to the design of the famous Lodz architect Gustaw Landau-Gutenteger. Its eclectic form combines elements of Neo-Renaissance and Neo-Romanism, making it an excellent example of turn-of-the-century Lodz Art Nouveau. Scaffolding can already be seen at the building and the investors are preparing full project documentation.
Facade full of symbols
What distinguishes the tenement at 32 Narutowicza Street is the unusually rich decoration of the façade. Apart from the aforementioned bats with anthropomorphic faces, the façade is decorated with rosettes, columns, semi-circular windows and loggias. There is also an abundance of Cyrillic inscriptions, which were probably advertisements for shops operating here before the First World War. All this makes the building an eye-catcher and sparks the imagination. The distinctive yellow brick facade contrasts with the grey plastered sections, creating a striking composition. Romanesque-style details such as biforia and triforia or decorative column heads have also been preserved.
The multifaceted history of the site
Before the current building was built, the site was occupied by a single-storey wooden house with outbuildings in the courtyard. Construction of the new brick building was completed at the end of the 19th century. In the following decades, the building changed hands several times. Before the First World War it belonged, among others, to the Szpiro family, and just before the outbreak of the Second World War to Chai and Johanen Teitelbaum. At that time, a woollen goods factory operated in the annexe, and the “Shir” Singing Society had its headquarters in the building itself. After the war, the tenement house passed into state hands, and for a time the Jewish printing house, the editorial office of the newspaper “Dos Naje Lebn” and the headquarters of the Union of Jewish Writers and Journalists operated there. In the 1990s, the property was recovered by Leokadia Haskiel – a descendant of the previous owners.
Auerbachs’ tenement house under renovation
Today, the tenement house is still in private hands. The tenants who live there have formed a community and are actively working to renovate the building. Although funding for the investment is still being sought, the planned work will include refreshing the façade as well as renovating the passage gates, damp proofing and other structural work. The building is registered as a listed building (no. A/353), which further obliges the investors to preserve its character and details.
Source: lodz.pl
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