Work is coming to an end to ensure that the Textile Head Office skyscraper in Łódź regains its former glory. The building had been covered in a layer of grime for many years. The disappearing scaffolding is revealing its true appearance.
The skyscraper of the Textile Headquarters in Łódź is 54 m high to the roof, and 72 m with the spire. Its construction began in 1951 and was completed in 1955, and the building was designed by architect Jan Krug. A graduate of the Faculty of Architecture at the Lviv Polytechnic (1939), he designed the building in the Socialist Realist style, but originally had a different plan.
The design of the building was selected in a competition organised in 1948, the jury of which evaluated 10 submitted proposals. The concept designed by Jan Krug won, but it ‘required’ modifications. Because of the socialist realism promoted at the time, the architect had to make changes to the appearance of the skyscraper. Instead of a glazed, modernist block, a socialist realist edifice appeared.
For many, the Centrala Tekstylna skyscraper is the “Łódź Palace of Culture”. No wonder! What the buildings have in common is the façade material and their shape. The Łódź skyscraper was supposed to be simpler, but it was modified by increasing its height and moving back and narrowing the upper storeys, which resulted in the creation of a “turret”.
Interestingly, already during the construction process, the Textile Headquarters was closed down, so the realisation of the project was put into question. However, the construction was completed. In 1956, broadcasting equipment of the Łódź Television Centre and an aerial mast were installed on the top floors of the building.
Cleaning of the building’s façade began in November 2023. The VIK-BUD company is involved in the work.
photos: lodz.pl
Read also: Łódź | Metamorphosis | Facade | Social realism | Architecture in Poland | whiteMAD on Instagram
This is how the building looked in 2020:
And this is how it will look in August 2024:
