The plot at the junction of Market Square and St. John’s Street in Krakow was occupied by medieval tenement houses for many centuries. Eventually, the plot was taken over by the Viennese Feniks Insurance Company, which realised Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz’s innovative design on the now empty property. The modernist edifice quickly gained a reputation as one of the most debated developments on the Market Square. During the occupation, its façade was transformed in line with the classicist aesthetic. The Phoenix Tenement is now the result of further reconstructions.
Demolition of tenement houses at Market Square in Krakow
Still at the beginning of the 19th century, the corner site was occupied by three former tenement houses of medieval origin. Subsequently a boarding school was established in the two connected houses on the Market Square side, which functioned as one of the few private grammar schools in Krakow. The beginning of the 20th century brought a significant breakthrough, as between 1913 and 1914 the entire complex was demolished. Tadeusz Będzikiewicz planned to build a hotel in this place, but its construction was interrupted by the First World War and the economic crisis. All that remained of the millionaire’s grand dreams was an empty square surrounded by a fence filled with political slogans and satire.
The Phoenix Tenement – a project that divided the city
After an unsuccessful hotel development, the plot was taken over by the Vienna Phoenix Insurance Company. A closed competition was then organised, and leading Krakow architects were invited to participate. In the end, the concept chosen was that of Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz, who proposed a highly original form, unprecedented in Krakow’s Market Square. The tenement house under construction between 1928 and 1932, with its modernist composition and art déco elements, provoked violent protests from the conservation community. The final preservation of the original design is attributed to the intervention of President Ignacy Mościcki, which ended the dispute and allowed work to continue. The six-storey volume was based on a reinforced concrete structure and contrasted strongly with the neighbouring classical buildings. Phoenix was designed with tenants with affluent wallets in mind. The flats had freedom of arrangement, good lighting and very comfortable solutions. These included Krakow’s first air-conditioning and waste chutes. The ground floor of the building was filled with shops and services.
The work of Adolf Szyszko-Bohusz
The most recognisable element of Szyszko-Bohusz’s design was the high attic topped with pinnacles. Residents gave the building the nickname “House under the Chimneys” because of the shape of its upper part. The façade from the side of the Market Square was divided by rhythmic bays of trapezoidal plan, which stretched over several storeys. An aluminium sculpture by Karol Muszkiet was placed on the corner. It depicts a female figure with a caduceus and a laurel wreath. Its scale was reduced from the original plans after a decision by the Krakow Arts Council. Residents gave her the humorous term ‘Woman with false jaw’. Representative shops were located on the ground floor. The most famous one belonged to the E. Wedel company, of which the floor with its mosaics alluding to the company emblem is still a reminder today. Part of the building’s decoration has survived in a state close to the original and represents an example of elegant art déco detailing.
The Phoenix Tenement and its reconstructions
During the German occupation, significant changes were made to the controversial building. Its façade was considered an example of undesirable architecture and was rebuilt according to Georg Stahl’s design in the classicising trend. The character of the upper part on the Market Square side was then changed. Instead of an attic, a mansard roof appeared and pilasters were added to the façade. The effect of the modernisation made the building appear more subordinate to its surroundings. Only the façade on the side of St. John’s Street retained its original 1930s appearance. After 1945, one of the premises in the ground floor became the Rio Café, which still operates here today. The building underwent a major refurbishment in 1996, which included the return of the corner sculpture removed during the occupation.
The Phoenix Tenement – a presence in the Market Square space
Today’s Phoenix is a building listed in the register of monuments and in the municipal records. Its presence in the vicinity of the historic buildings of the Market Square still arouses keen interest. The modernist part on the side of St. John’s Street recalls Szyszko-Bohusz’s bold vision, while the façade facing the Market Square remains a trace of the changes introduced during the war. The building refers to the tradition of modernist department stores known from the architecture of Vienna and solutions developed in Chicago. Despite alterations, its dimensions and details clearly distinguish it from its surroundings. Today, the building forms an important element of the contemporary Market Square landscape. It is a testimony to the aesthetic and urban conflicts that have accompanied designers and planners for many years.
Source: zabytek.pl
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The Phoenix Tenement House in the late 1930s and today. Source: Historical Museum of the City of Krakow and Mateusz Markowski/WhiteMAD.pl
