Such significant transformations have not been seen in the Old Town in Poznan for half a century. An entire quarter near the Old Market Square is under reconstruction. The word "monument" takes on fluid meanings here, and only the facades remain of historic buildings. The most recent case is the replacement of an old building with a completely new one - after an astonishing battle between the investor and preservationists.
The last time Poznan's Old Town was an area of such far-reaching demolition and transformation was in the mid-1970s. At that time, the northern outskirts of the historic complex were cut through with the last section of the so-called Chwaliszewska route - an urban expressway that destroyed the urban layout that had been established for centuries. Now the southern end of the Old Town is undergoing a different kind of change: the vast area of the former Struś hospital adjacent to Szkolna, Podgórna and Kozia streets. The area stretches almost from the Old Market to Wiosny Ludów Square.
prune for seniors
The biggest investment here is the reconstruction of a sizable part of the former medical center into a luxury "senior care center." The investment by the French company Orpea (designed by SPA Biuro Projektów) finally started in February, after many years of waiting (we wrote more about it here). Work is now in full swing, and what remains of the 19th century building along Szkolna Street is essentially the exterior walls. The oldest and most valuable part of the hospital - the former convent building on Kozia Street - is undergoing fewer modifications.
Conversion of the former hospital into a senior care center, view of the interior of the building from Szkolna Street, June 2022.
Photo: Jakub Głaz
On the other hand, tenements further from the Old Market, formerly absorbed by the hospital (and sold a few years ago by Orpea) are now being converted into apartment buildings. Two of them, under the name "Viennese Tenement" (on the corner of Szkolna Street and Wiosny Ludów Square) will receive forms closer to the original from the outside. The preserved facades will be restored to a more decorative character, without the simplifications made after the war, and a few contemporary accents will appear. The first floor, which has been dead for decades, will come to life - intended for restaurants. Behind the facades - as with the hospital - new construction is being built. SPA Biuro Projektów (Grzegorz Sadowski, Renata Jankowska and Robert Pawłowski) is also responsible for the project. The investor is DS New Venture.
The northern frontage of Podgórna Street; in the first photo, the condition as of July 2022, on the left you can see the site of the demolished tenement at No. 7; in the second photo: this is what the "Wiener Tenement" is to look like, view from Wiosny Ludów Square, proj. SPA Biuro Projektowe
1. photo: Jakub Głaz, 2. source: kamienienicaawiedenska.pl/MOTION STUDIO Z
IT WAS MORE INTERESTING
The owner of the two tenement houses on Podgórna Street, on the other hand, allowed himself the greatest modifications: the Structure Capital fund. It recently showed the final visualizations of a luxury residential building that will be built on the site of a completely demolished house at 7 Podgórna Street on the edge of the former hospital complex. The building's form is a compromise between modernity and tradition, although the latter seems to dominate here.
In the first photo: the new tenement house at 7 Podgórna Street in Poznań, visualization, designed by Andrzej Leszczyński; in the second photo: the site of the demolished tenement house at 7 Podgórna Street, in the background: the conversion of a former hospital into a senior care center
1. © Structure Capital; 2. photo: Jakub Glaz
While working on the building's facade, we wanted to dress the classic form of a Poznan tenement in noble and high-class materials, described with modern architectural details, " describes the project's author, Andrzej Leszczynski.
The building will be visually heavier and less attractive than the first, abandoned concept - by the Poznan studio Easst Architects. Instead, the project of this office is being implemented next door, at No. 9. A completely new volume has also been added to the facade, which has been preserved and modified in the first floor (services are also to be located here). Both buildings will form a whole under a rather pretentious name: Saint Martin Residence.
In the first photo: the site of the former hospital after demolition and tree cutting, view from Kozia Street, as of January 2022, in the background, on the left, construction of a new volume added to the preserved facade at 9 Podgórna Street (designed by Easst Architects); in the second photo: the northern frontage of ul. Podgórna Street in Poznań, visualization, this is how "Kamienica Wiedeńska" is to look like, proj. SPA Biuro Projektowe; third from right: Structure Capital investment (proj. Easst Architects) at No. 9
1. photo: Jakub Głaz; 2. source: kamienicawiedenska.pl/MOTION STUDIO Z
four years of struggle
More interesting than the presented form, however, seems to be the four-year battle fought by the investor and the City Historic Preservation Officer, Joanna Bielawska-Pałczyńska. First, the latter did not want to allow the demolition of the old tenement at number seven, and eventually of its exterior walls due to their historical value. However, the investor and architects from Easst Architects pointed out that the building - being largely a post-war structure - has little value and, having been abandoned for many years, should be demolished for safety reasons. Experts from the National Heritage Institute also gave a similar opinion, at the request of the provincial conservator. The conservator was adamant. The case therefore rested with the Provincial Administrative Court, which sided with the investor. The WSA ordered the conservators to reconsider the case. This time the MKZ office backed itself up with a favorable opinion commissioned from experts listed by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage. The investor continued to protest, until - suddenly, unexpectedly - the MKZ office agreed to the demolition, citing the investor's expert opinions and.... interpreting the opinion of ministerial experts differently.
sudden twists and turns
However, this is not the only turbulence related to the classification of buildings in the area. A major controversy concerned the extensive courtyard at the back of the future senior center. First, during the city's sale of the complex in 2017, the MKZ office imposed tough conditions: the low-rise buildings in the courtyard must be preserved, and no underground parking must be built there. In 2020, however, citing a "reanalysis," the MKZ allowed demolition and parking. Meanwhile, the Department of Landscaping and Environmental Protection allowed the old-growth forest to be cut down (with the exception of a maple tree - a natural monument), although it too was previously protected. Apparently, some of the buildings of the former hospital took on the characteristics of Schrödinger's cat: they were both valuable and worthless.
Conversion of the former hospital on Szkolna Street into a senior care center - View of the oldest part of the hospital on Kozia Street, June 2022.
Photo: Jakub Głaz
These pro-investor moves have caused much surprise, especially since the price of the former hospital was being reduced, precisely because of conservation and nature restrictions. One can only speculate what was the real reason for the loosening of these restrictions for an investment that the city authorities were very keen on starting(the former hospital was deteriorating and adversely affecting its surroundings). The situation would probably be clearer if the preservationists had "in the back of their minds" a comprehensive vision of the old town area. In a situation where each fragment is treated separately, it is much easier for investors to push the boundaries of changes and the notion of "monument."
