There are many forgotten tenements in Rzeszow. Several years ago, work began on the documentation of the renovation of the historic building at 5 Pilsudskiego Street. No one expected that valuable decorations would be discovered under the layers of plaster. The original architectural details, ceramic tiles, or cast-iron balustrade date back to the early 20th century, according to the Rzeszow conservator of monuments, this is the most interesting such discovery in years.
Photo B. Podubny WUOZ Przemyśl
polychrome testing
A few years ago, the then owner of the unusual tenement, i.e. the Municipality of the City of Rzeszow, began work on the renovation documentation of the building. Among other things, it included a program of conservation work on the facade and research for the presence of polychromes, which had already been expanded under the new owner - a private investor. As a result, the most interesting (in the words of the Rzeszów conservator) polychromes in the city were discovered.
In the central rooms located on the second floor, polychromes were uncovered, depicting illusionistic wooden divisions of the walls imitating paneling covered with marzipan, decorated with floral motifs - flowers and fruits. The ceiling is decorated with rich in form ornamental and floral decoration. Painted "with a brush" by the artist, who also used natural chiaroscuro. After removing the secondary layers, the discovered polychrome appeared to be in surprisingly good condition. It is the best currently known example of painting decoration of a Rzeszow bourgeois house from the early 20th century.
- writes conservator Bartosz Podubny.
Photo B. Podubny WUOZ Przemyśl
Polychromes with motifs of garlands, meanders, flowers, wall frame decorations or rosettes on the ceilings have been covered in other rooms, unfortunately in a varied state of preservation. We thank the restorers for their interesting discovery, and wish the investor a successful restoration. Unique polychromes have been uncovered in a historic building located on Pilsudski Street in Rzeszow. This is another discovery in one of the city's most interesting buildings.
illusionistic wooden divisions
The polychromies, which are located in the central rooms located on the second floor of the historic building, depict illusionistic wooden divisions of the walls imitating paneling covered with marzipan. It was decorated with floral motifs, more specifically, flowers and fruits. The tenement in question is distinguished from others by its many details.
The front elevation is decorated with a wooden door to a passage vestibule, rustication, window bands, and pilasters. Characteristic elements are the caryatids in the side pseudo-horizalites or varied in form the pediments - especially those on the second floor with decoration in the form of a shell with a central head. In the interior, the architectural decoration of the vestibule, the staircase with a cast iron balustrade or the decorative tiles on the landings have been preserved," Bartosz Podubny enumerates.
Photo B. Podubny WUOZ Przemyśl
save the monuments, or find an investor?
It is worth recalling that the tenement house is currently owned by a private investor. As long as it remained in the hands of the city, the city began conservation work, but specialized research and a detailed work plan have already been done thanks to a contemporary investor. Is privatization, which is widely doubted, the key to preserving historic tenements?
