The Jakub Wolanow tenement house, located at 13 Smulikowskiego Street in Warsaw, is one of the most outstanding examples of the so-called ‘soft’ functionalism popular in interwar architecture. The building is distinguished not only by its characteristic façade, but also by its rich history related to the inter-war period and World War II.
The tenement was built between 1934 and 1935 (according to some sources 1936-1937) for an entrepreneur of Jewish origin, Jakub Wolanow, and is an excellent example of the harmonious combination of functionalism and expressive architectural forms. There are some discrepancies as to the authorship of the project. Most sources indicate the architects Grzegorz Lewin and Stanisław (Salomon) Pianka as the building’s creators. Some studies also mention the name of the well-known architect Bohdan Pniewski, but there is no clear evidence of his involvement in the project.
The façade of the building is divided into concave loggias and convex elements, creating an expressive play of chiaroscuro. The concave parts of the façade are clad in stone, while the convex parts (including the characteristic arched balconies) are distinguished by their bright, smooth surfaces. Symmetrically arranged windows and semicircular pilasters flanking the side parts of the façade give the building a distinctive form that alludes to the aesthetics of the modernist tenement house at 5 Tamka Street. In the courtyard of the building there is a small garage and a green square. The façade there is quite simple, equipped with balconies.
The interior of the gateway passage features stone and sandstone cladding, terracotta flooring, as well as a marble staircase and circular lighting panels on the ceiling, adding elegance to the communal spaces. The staircase leading to the floors is clad in terrazzo and enhanced with modernist-style metal balustrades. Wrought-iron gates and grilles are also important elements.
Smulikowskiego Street, formerly named Herburtowska Street, was initially undeveloped, and the area on which the Wolanow tenement was built was the rear of the property on Tamka Street. The dynamic development of the area came in the 1930s, when the surrounding plots began to be intensively developed. A harmonious frontage of the then luxurious tenement houses was created, which – instead of annexes – had small, green courtyards. Practically all the buildings survived the Second World War, in better or worse condition.
During the Warsaw Uprising, the tenement, like many other buildings in Warsaw, was damaged and partially burnt down. The inhabitants were driven out around 10 September 1944, but some remained hidden in the basement. After the war, the tenement was partially rebuilt and restored, retaining its original architectural details. The building was subsequently nationalised and settled with squatter tenants. Over the years, the symmetrical composition of the façade was disrupted by the bricking up of the shopfront, which counterbalanced the entrance gate. It was replaced by a three-wing window. Part of the terrace on the roof of the building has also been built over, and new windows have been installed (mainly on the loggias) that ignore the original divisions.
The Wolanow tenement at 13 Smulikowskiego Street is a building that reflects both the technical and artistic achievements of Polish architecture in the 1930s. It is not only a valuable monument, but also a testimony to the history of Warsaw, which, despite wartime destruction, has managed to retain much of its pre-war charm.
Source: zabytek.pl, iwaw.pl
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