The House without Corners – a characteristic edifice of Krakowskie Przedmieście

On the western side of Krakowskie Przedmieście, among churches and palaces, there is a modernist edifice with an unusual shape. The House without Corners – as it is customarily called – was designed by the renowned architect Czesław Przybylski.The author of the construction was Stefan Bryła

Completed in 1933-35, the building was built on the initiative of the Ministry of Military Affairs to house officers and married non-commissioned officers. The investor was the Military Accommodation Fund. It was characterised by a high standard of finish. It is one of the best examples of the so-called Warsaw school of architecture. It was built on the site of the demolished former Saxon Forges. Before 1939, shops were located on the ground floor of the building

Photo: whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski

The name of the edifice is linked to the rounded corners of the building, which were an architectural reference to the neighbouring Hotel Europejski. It is, however, the source of an anecdote. The building was commissioned by Józef Piłsudski, who, when asked how he envisaged the new structure, replied that he wanted it to be free of corners, with financial transparency in mind. The constructors probably misunderstood the Marshal’s words and as a result we can see the characteristic roundness on it

The building during the occupation and today. Source: NAC – National Digital Archive www.nac.gov.pl/ and Photo: whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski

The building survived the Second World War without major damage, but the façade still bears traces of fighting and shelling. In 1992, the House without Edges was entered in the register of historical monuments. In 2019, the building underwent a comprehensive renovation of the external facades; the preserved traces from the war, located on the sandstone cladding on the side of Królewska Street, were also subjected to conservation work at that time

Source: powarszawsku.com

Read also: Architecture | Facade | Modernism | Renovation | Monument | Warsaw