Of the entire pre-war Three Crosses Square, only part of the buildings have survived to this day. The place was an area of heavy warfare, as a result of which the damage was massive. Still towering over the square is the Sukert building standing at Hoża 1, which was more fortunate than the neighbouring buildings
It was built in 1913-14 to a design by H. Stifelman and S. Weiss. At the time, it was one of the tallest buildings in the capital. Originally, the Sukert’s tenement house at 1 Hoża Street was constructed at the same time as the tenement house at 1a Hoża Street (also designed by the same architects), and they were treated as one building. The division of the tenement house into two buildings took place in 1919. During the Second World War the western wing at 1a was destroyed and was never rebuilt – it was left as a ruin. The damaged part was demolished in 2002. The surviving tenement has retained its pre-war appearance and still dominates Trzech Krzyży Square
photo: whiteMAD editors/ Mateusz Markowski
For more than two decades, the plot stood empty. Over the years, numerous investors have been trying to build on the site of the demolished building. Ultimately, none of the planned projects came to fruition. This is about to change. The demolished building will be replaced by an apartment building with a modern form and a height that will match that of the eight-storey Sukert building. The apartment building with the address Hoża 1b was designed by the SUD Architekci studio
The tenement house in 1938 and 2023. Source: National Archive in Warsaw
The tenement in 1939 and 2023. Source: National Archive in Warsaw
The tenement house in 1939 and 2023. Source: State Archive in Warsaw
1993 and 2023, Hoża 1A. Source: Social Archive of Warsaw, https://www.tubylotustalo.pl/spoleczne-archiwum
The empty plot now and in the visualisation, after reconstruction. Source SUD Architects
On the wall of the building where the damaged wing stood, you can still read the outline of the former rooms it housed. This is a representative site that should be complemented by new development. Adjacent to the Sukert building is another building that has stood abandoned and in decline for many years. Both its façade, which can be seen from Mokotowska Street, and the rear façade, which can be seen in the background from Hoża Street, are in a dilapidated state. Will this building also be renovated?
Source: warszawskie-mozaiki.pl, nowawarszawa.pl
Read also: Architecture | Tenement | Metamorphosis | Historic monument | Warsaw | Interesting facts
