The House under the Negro is a Baroque tenement house located at 3 Szafarnia Street in Gdańsk. It was built between 1727 and 1728 by Krzysztof Strzycki, a stonemason considered to be one of the most talented craftsmen in 18th-century Gdańsk. The building was constructed in the immediate vicinity of his workshop. World War II brought the destruction of the valuable building, but it lived to see reconstruction.
Architecture and interior design
The small townhouse designed by Strzycki was reminiscent in style of suburban patrician residences. The property’s façade was enriched with numerous sculptural details. These included sphinx figures on plinths, a rich portal with the owner’s coat of arms and decorative putti. Strzycki included in the coat of arms, as a family symbol, the image of a Negro’s head against a golden background. This motif was later given to the entire building. The building was 7 m long and 14 m wide, and the whole was covered with a hipped mansard roof. From the front it adjoined Szafarnia Street, while from the back it was adjacent to the Stępkarski Canal. The richly decorated façade of the building was a harbinger of equally splendid interiors. Surviving descriptions include information about carved portals, a marble fireplace, stucco and other decorations. The rooms were furnished with inlaid doors, flecked floors and decorative ceilings.
The House under the Blackbird – fate after Strzycki’s death
After Strzycki’s death in 1753, the tenement changed hands several times. In the 19th century it served as quarters for officers of the Gdansk garrison, and later it belonged to the sculptor Johann Heinrich Norden, who took care to preserve the interior decoration. In March 1945, the building was almost completely destroyed. Only fragments of the ground floor, part of the front wall and individual details survived. Some of these, including the panels with the three graces and sphinxes, were used in the renovation of another Danzig tenement at 8 Długi Targ Street. The neighbouring property survived in much better condition.
Reconstruction and new features
The reconstruction of the House under the Blackbird took place between 1959 and 1966, based, among other things, on pre-war photographs taken by Oskar Strycky, a descendant of Krzysztof Strzycki. The reconstruction project involved restoring the façade (with some changes, including the proportions of the windows) and adapting the interior to function as an office. In 1967, the reconstructed building was entered in the register of monuments. For many years it remained under the management of the Workers’ Holiday Fund, but due to a lack of funds regular conservation work was not carried out, which led to the deterioration of the building’s technical condition. In 1999, the tenement and the neighbouring building passed into private hands. The new owner decided to transform the House under the Blackbird into an exclusive hotel facility. The adaptation project was prepared by the Portal Architectural Office, and the work was carried out under the supervision of the conservator.
The House below the Blackbird today
Hotel Podewils began operating in the two adjoining townhouses in 2001. The building offers ten rooms, a restaurant and a bar styled as a seaside tavern. Despite its new function, the building has retained its historical character. It is still known as the House under the Negro, which refers to the coat of arms of its creator and the turbulent history of this undoubtedly unique Gdansk residence.
Source: rekonstrukcjeiodbudowy.pl, gdansk.gedanopedia.pl
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Gdańsk | History | Monument | Metamorphosis
The House under the Blackbird in 1925 and 2024. Source: Yanek/photopolska.eu and Google Maps
Portal of the building, post-war years and today. Source: Fotomemoria and PAX/photopolska.eu
