fot. WhiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski

Warsaw: the scaffolding has been removed from the building at 73 Grzybowska Street

·31 May 2026

The townhouse at 73 Grzybowska Street has emerged from behind the scaffolding and, after several years of work, is almost ready to welcome new residents. This pre-war building was designed by Szymon Syrkus, who gave it a functionalist façade concealing luxury apartments. Once the entire renovation is complete, the building will house 14 flats and will operate under the name The Suite.

Grzybowska’s modernist landmark

The tenement house was built between 1935 and 1937 on commission from the firm Hurwicz i S-ka. Its architect was the aforementioned Szymon Syrkus, a leading figure of the interwar avant-garde and co-founder of the Blok and Praesens groups. At a time when the area around Grzybowska Street was dominated mainly by traditional tenement houses and industrial buildings, Syrkus’s design aroused curiosity with its austere form and distinctly functionalist character. A vertical glazed staircase, known as the ‘thermometer window’, appeared centrally on the building’s façade. This was accompanied by horizontal bands of windows facing the street and balconies facing the courtyard, smooth, undecorated façades and ceramic cladding on the ground floor. In the mid-1930s, the building offered an impressively high standard of living. Residents had access to amenities such as central heating and a lift, whilst the ground floor housed retail and service premises.

Grzybowska 73 lost the battle against time

Grzybowska 73 was one of the few buildings in this part of Warsaw to survive the Second World War. Its neighbour at number 71, now abandoned, was also quite fortunate. After 1945, the tenement house designed by Szymon Syrkus remained inhabited, but over the years its condition deteriorated significantly. Despite this, the original composition of the façade has been preserved, showcasing the elegant Warsaw modernism of the interwar period.

A surviving gem in Wola

Following Ghelamco’s acquisition of the property several years ago, a major redevelopment began under the supervision of the conservator of monuments. The scale of the work required to restore the tenement from ruin proved to be very extensive. As part of this, the interiors, ceilings and roof were almost entirely removed, leaving primarily the external walls and the historic staircase. A new structure was then built inside. The concept was developed by Projekt Polsko-Belgijska Pracownia Architektury, which is also involved in the construction of the neighbouring skyscraper, The Bridge.

Grzybowska 73 regains its splendour

Now that the scaffolding has been removed, most of the results of several years’ work are visible. The façade has regained its off-white hue, the colour and proportions of the windows and the vertical glazing of the stairwell have been restored, and brown cladding is currently being installed on the ground floor. Additionally, another storey has been added to the roof. The building once again resembles its form from the second half of the 1930s.

Under the name The Suite, an intimate development is being built comprising 14 flats ranging in size from approximately 54 to 72 square metres. Inside, there will be, amongst other things, an elegant lobby, storage rooms, an underground car park and a commercial unit opening onto Grzybowska Street and Plac Europejski.

Source:Ghelamco,miastarytm.pl,Kamień i co? Saving Warsaw’s historic buildings

Grzybowska 73 then and now. Photo credit: mamik/fotopolska.eu and whiteMAD/Mateusz Markowski