Noho Investment, a Krakow-based real estate development company affiliated with the Grazyna, Dominika and Sebastian Kulczyk Foundation, intends to take over the Solpol department store in Wroclaw. Demolition of the building was to begin in January, will the new owner change those plans?
Noho is a recently active developer, preparing investments mainly in Krakow and Katowice. For now, it has released information on two of its projects - Młyny Mogilska on the edge of Krakow's downtown, where historic mill buildings will be partially rebuilt, and apartments in the center of Katowice. The investor is creating itself as a responsible, conscious player whose ambition is to create multifunctional, metropolitan spaces with high-quality architecture and complemented by art objects.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Our mission is to create exceptional urban space that meets the highest standards of quality and can meet the most exorbitant demands of our clients.
Noho Investment
profit philosophy
The question is, will Solpol's architectural and artistic value, which an investor positioning itself in such a way should appreciate, win out over the opportunities for intensification of development provided by the local zoning plan prepared by the Wrocław authorities? According to Gazeta Wyborcza, the transaction is expected to take place in late February/early March, after all tenants have been moved out of Solpol (only the exchange office remains).
Goodwill or smokescreen
However, a representative of the investor in an interview with Gazeta reveals that Noho will be interested in demolishing the building, while questioning Solpol's architectural value. There is supposed to be some consolation in the announced architectural competition, which would select a design for a residential and commercial building in place of the department store. However, there are no specifics - after all, closed investor competitions are a common practice in which the public party has no involvement. So this is no concession on the part of the developer.
mobilization continues
Solpol Parrty - actions in defense of the building
photo: Solpol Collective Remains
Recent months have proven that there are many indications that there is great potential in Solpol 1. People not only from the world of architecture became involved in its defense, it was ranked among the most important buildings in Poland, and the number of articles, publications and ideas for its effective use increased with each passing month. Unfortunately, the current owners did not see this - we hope that the eventual change will involve seeing opportunities for cultural and social use of the building.
Alicja Stefaniak, @solpolposting
In the fight to save the icon of Polish postmodernism, Wroclaw activists, specialists and institutions are not stopping. Last July, the Wrocław magistrate's office admittedly gave permission for the demolition of the building, but procedures related to access to the worksite, which would run through the promenade, are being prolonged. At the same time, a court battle is underway before the Supreme Administrative Court in Warsaw. This is because the Society for the Beautification of the City of Wroclaw has appealed against the decision of the provincial historic preservation officer to refuse to enter the building in the register.
Cross sections. Gallery of Polish architecture of the 20th and 21st centuries.
photo: Tomasz Markowski / MNK
