Work has begun in Warsaw on the modernisation and extension of the Warsaw I District Police Headquarters building. The building, located at Belwederska 16, was handed over to the contractor after all the required permits were obtained. The project, worth more than PLN 77 million, is to be completed by September 2027. The architectural concept is the responsibility of the HSA office, whose team created a design that refers to the original form of the building from the late 1920s and at the same time is adapted to the requirements of the modern Police Force.
Belwederska 16 – the pre-war history of the building
The edifice now occupied by the capital’s police force was built in 1929 as an automobile showroom and workshop of the company representing the American Chrysler concern. The building was designed by Edward Seydenbeutel and was one of the first buildings in Poland to draw on the architectural language of the Bauhaus. It was distinguished by its use of reinforced concrete construction and modern functional solutions. Originally, the building consisted of two main parts: the front part, with its exhibition and office character, and the workshop hall at the back. The front elevation was made up of cuboidal blocks, complemented by strip glazing typical of modernism. The workshop hall had a pitched roof made of steel.
War damage and makeshift reconstruction
During the Warsaw Uprising, the building was severely damaged. Much of the roof was destroyed, as well as parts of the front elevation. After the war, due to a lack of funds for full reconstruction, ad hoc precautions and makeshift repair works were carried out. The following decades were limited to basic repairs. As a result of these developments, the building has lost its original character and its current appearance is significantly different from its original design and does not at all reflect the idea of Seydenbeutel from almost a century ago.
Belwederska 16 – conservation and architectural guidelines
Before the architects set about designing the new version of the headquarters, they analysed the archival documentation in detail. Their aim was to recreate as faithfully as possible the architectural forms designed in the 1920s, while taking into account contemporary functional requirements. As a result of these analyses, a project has been created that envisages, among other things, the restoration of the original façade divisions, the restoration of the hall’s gabled roof and the reconstruction of a high attic over the front part. An important element is also the restoration of the two outermost segments of the façade, destroyed during the war. Initially, the project received a positive opinion from the Capital Conservator of Monuments and no explicit obstacles were identified in the local development plan, but the decision of the Mayor of Warsaw was challenged in the second instance by the Mazovian Voivode. As a result, it will not be possible to reconstruct the entire corridor, and its length will be limited in relation to the historical outline.
The original and realised concept. Photo: HSA
New buildings in the vicinity of the historic building
In addition to the modernisation and partial reconstruction of the historic building, the construction of new administrative and office buildings is also planned. These will be built in the northern part of the plot, on the site of the previously demolished outbuildings. Two segments of the new property will complete the frontage of Belwederska and Ludwik Nabielak streets. The wings of the complex have been designed as a complex of several blocks of varying heights, but with a coherent architectural expression. The elevations will be finished with translucent glass panels, which is intended to refer to modernist patterns and at the same time emphasise the contemporary character of the investment. An underground car park is planned exclusively under the new section.
Fusing history with the present
The return of the historic, but today inconspicuous building to the modernist principles of the inter-war period is an initiative worthy of praise and recognition. The commenced reconstruction of the headquarters is part of a broader trend of revalorising Warsaw’s modernism, which is very characteristic of the urban landscape – especially of Mokotów. The overall investment is intended to improve working conditions for officers and at the same time enrich the space with a valuable example of architecture referring to the history of this unique place.
Source: HSApress materials
Read also: Architecture in Poland | Monument | Renovation | Modernism | Warsaw
The building in the 1930s and today. Photo: HSA and Google Maps
The command station today and in the near future. Photo by Google Maps and HSA
The facility before and after the redevelopment. Photo: Google Maps and HSA
