Façade decoration at 62 Ogarna St.

Technique: metalwork, bas-relief

Object:

One of the two historicist façades covering a block of flats built as part of the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk. In 2018, the façade underwent a major refurbishment under the ‘Gdańskie Fasady OdNowa’ project, which aimed to improve the quality of public spaces in Główne Miasto by adding architectural decoration to existing buildings that were omitted during Gdańsk’s reconstruction.

The triaxial western façade received a metalwork decoration in the form of a flat metal décor placed above the portal in the space between the first and second storeys and rosettes located in the same area. The metalwork is made up of simplified, geometric floral forms referring to the original decoration; semi-circular floral rosettes made of stone, flanking the fifth-storey window, placed on the façade during the reconstruction.

Place:

The buildings are in an area designated as a heritage site. They form part of the historic urban layout of the city of Gdańsk. Ogarna Street was destroyed in 1945 during the war. It was rebuilt on the basis of the so-called Zachwatowicz plan that envisaged the reconstruction of historical forms, which was only feasible in the form of a workers’ housing estate. The erected block of flats was covered by a historicist façade screen. The buildings thus created were the result of combining two houses into a complex with a common staircase, an entrance from the courtyard and an even top line of windows emphasising the block-like nature of the premise. The elevations were not completed with architectural decoration.

Information about the author:

Jacek Wielebski graduated from the Faculty of Graphics at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He co-founded Traffic Design, an association dedicated to art and design in public space. He is a graphic artist, poster designer, and organiser of cultural events.

Condition of the object: good

Owner/guardian: “Attyka” real estate management

Author of the entry: Noemi Etush