Façade decoration at 82 Szeroka St.

Technique: painting, 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, 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 eastern, triaxial four-storey façade received a painted decoration. In the inter-window space of the second and third floors are ribbons with the inscriptions TEAT[R] [ŻYD]OWSKI, JÜDISCHES THEAT[E]R DANZ[IG], יידיש טעא[טע]ר דאנצ[יג], (JIDYSZ TEA[TE]R DANC[IG]), SZEROK[A], GDAŃ[SK] (Jewish Theatre in Gdańsk), referring to the history of the place and pre-war typography. The lower strip of the decoration, between the first and second storeys, replicates the pattern of interlocking ribbons. Here, they form the background for a metal parallel sign without background, mounted on structural rails bearing the inscription ULICA SZEROKA (Szeroka Street). The aim of the façade design, as with the façades of the tenement houses at 77, 86, and 87 Szeroka Street, was to minimise uncontrolled advertising in the public space.

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 authors:

Daniel “Chazme” Kaliński graduated from the Faculty of Architecture and Urban Planning at the Warsaw University of Technology. He has taken part in numerous solo and group exhibitions. He works with illustration, painting and graphic design. He collaborates with Michal Wręga, with whom he forms the duo Sepe/Chazme.

Jacek Wielebski graduated from the Faculty of Graphic Arts at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdańsk. He co-founded the Traffic Design 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: Residential community at 82/83 Szeroka St.

Author of the entry: Noemi Etush