Façade decoration at 125 Ogarna Street

Object: The façade covers a residential block constructed as part of Gdańsk’s post-war reconstruction. In 2013, it underwent a complete renovation as part of the ‘Gdańskie Fasady OdNowa’ project, aimed at improving the quality of public spaces in the Main Town by adding architectural decorations to buildings that had been overlooked during Gdańsk’s reconstruction.

Trójosiowa elewacja budynku przy ul. The three-bay façade of the building at 125 Ogarna Street has been adorned with a painted decoration in shades of burgundy and pink, composed of overlapping circles and concentric shapes. The painting intervention emphasised the existing architectural elements of the façade – pilasters and the attic – through contrasting colour differentiation. The use of noble, colour-tinted plaster for the façade references the building’s historical colour scheme.

Location: 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: Łukasz ‘Cekas’ Berger graduated from the Faculty of Sculpture at the Academy of Fine Arts in Wrocław. He completed his degree under the supervision of Janusz Kucharski. The artist works with installations, murals, sculptures, and graffiti. He is the author of numerous public art projects, including works in Wrocław and Łódź.

Condition of the object: good

Owner/guardian: ‘Attyka’ real estate management

Author of the entry: Noemi Etush