Façade decoration at 81 Szeroka St.

Technique: metalwork

Object:

One of the two historicist façades covering a block of flats built as part of the post-war reconstruction of Gdańsk. In 2014, the façade underwent a major refurbishment under the ‘Gdańskie Fasady OdNowa’ project. Its aim was 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 western, quadriaxial façade underwent comprehensive restoration work to improve the appearance of the plaster. However, the most interesting feature is the balustrade bounding the one-way composite staircase leading to the rooms on the first floor of the building. The balustrade is made of black powder-coated steel. It is built with a solid frame filled with an abstract ornament based on freely treated fish contours.

Place:

The building is located in an area designated as a heritage site. It forms part of the historic urban layout of Gdańsk. Szeroka Street was destroyed in 1945 during World War II. Most of the tenement houses were rebuilt without respecting the historical layout. Historic remnants can only be seen in the distinction of the separate façades with gables and in the ridge layout perpendicular to the street. The height and width of the buildings were standardised, and consequently, the historic parcelling was not maintained. Retail and service units were located in the ground floor. Szeroka Street acts as a boundary between the historicising reconstruction and modern development: a place where the two ways of post-war reconstruction intertwine.

Information about the author:

Mariusz Burdek (b. 1985) graduated from the legendary Antoni Kenar Visual Arts School in Zakopane in 2005, and in 2010, he presented his graduation work in Professor Sławoj Ostrowski’s studio at the Faculty of Sculpture of the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He currently works as an assistant in Professor Mariusz Białecki’s graduate studio. He took part in numerous sculpture exhibitions and plein-air workshops.

Condition of the object: good

Owner/guardian: Admista Stawska

Author of the entry: Noemi Etush