The House of the Scarabs – a Warsaw landmark in ruins

·19 May 2026

At the junction of Puławska and Okolska Streets in Warsaw stands the House under the Scarabs – one of the most distinctive buildings in pre-war Mokotów. For nearly 100 years, the property has captivated visitors with its exotic details and mysterious symbolism. The former family villa of Władysław and Jadwiga Malinowski survived the Second World War and the post-war redevelopment of the area, but today the historic building is falling into ruin before our very eyes.

The House under the Scarabs – iconic modernism

The villa was built between 1932 and 1934 to a design by the architect Adolf Ihnatowicz-Łubiański. The client was the engineer Władysław Malinowski, a member of the pre-war Warsaw engineering community. The architect and the client studied at the Riga Polytechnic and were active in the Arkonia academic society. Traces of this symbolism are still visible in the building’s ornamentation. The most interesting feature is, of course, the relief depicting a huge scarab surrounded by two birds. For years, these were regarded as owls symbolising knowledge; however, some researchers now suggest they were inspired by Egyptian falcons. The scarab itself referred to rebirth and diligence. It was this very detail that led the residents of Warsaw to start referring to the building as the House under the Scarabs even before the war.

photo: Qkiel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Europe’s fascination with Egypt

The villa’s structure embodies the spirit of modernism and Art Deco, but the décor reveals the owner’s fascination with ancient Egypt. In the 1920s and 1930s, similar inspirations emerged in many European cities. The imagination was drawn to the Nile by the momentous and groundbreaking discovery of Tutankhamun’s tomb. In Warsaw, however, such projects were rare, whereas in Kraków the Egyptian House, which we wrote about HERE, became famous. The Malinowski House at 101 Puławska Street had a geometric form and a rather restrained façade composition, broken up only by almost theatrical additions. The interiors also revealed the couple’s passion for decorative modernism. Noteworthy features included the striking staircase balustrade and the bay window floor featuring a seven-pointed star, a symbol of Arkonia representing knowledge and truth. The Malinowski residence was surrounded by a large park-like garden, which has now virtually disappeared.

The House under the Scarabs and its fate

The Malinowskis left their home in September 1939, just five years after its completion. During the German occupation and the Warsaw Uprising, the villa served as a field hospital. The building itself survived the events of the Second World War in relatively good condition, which was a great stroke of luck in Warsaw. However, shelling damaged the Egyptian decorations on the façade, the terrace balustrades and parts of the fence. After 1945, the engineer’s former residence was nationalised, superficially renovated and then divided into smaller flats. Over time, commercial premises also appeared, which is why the ground floor of the house was rebuilt and some of the windows and doors were rebuilt. Subsequent uncontrolled renovations further obscured the property’s original décor and character. The garden was not spared either. It was divided up between private owners and the city, which over the years complicated attempts to restore the property’s historic appearance.

The damaged house, during the occupation. Source: State Archives in Warsaw

Warsaw landmark in increasingly poor condition

The lack of proper care for the House under the Scarabs has led to the progressive deterioration of what was once an interesting piece of architecture. The light-coloured façades darkened with grime, decorations peeled away from the walls and fell onto the pavement, and the elegant interiors lost more and more of their original features. Over time, the dilapidated building was abandoned by its residents and tenants. It made headlines again in 2016 when a section of the cornice fell onto the pavement and cycle path on Puławska Street. Today, the Malinowski House bears more resemblance to a forgotten mansion from another era than to an iconic monument of Warsaw’s modernist architecture. Crumbling plaster, blind windows, graffiti-covered façades and ruined balustrades form a stark contrast to the bustling, traffic-filled Puławska Street. Despite these alarming facts, the villa has largely retained its elegant proportions and the famous scarab relief.

The House under the Scarabs – what next?

In 2011, the building was entered into the register of monuments of the Mazovia Province. Protection was granted to its façades, decorations and part of the historic interiors. The decision safeguarded the villa from demolition, whilst significantly limiting the possibility of major alterations without the consent of the conservation officer. For many years, the capital’s media have been reporting on plans to renovate the building and restore its lost decorations. The main problems here, however, are the high costs of the work, ownership issues and the poor technical condition of the building. Alejandro Carsona wrote that trees die standing up. So do Warsaw’s historic buildings.