2B Jerzego Waszyngtona Avenue Skyscraper
| 2B Jerzego Waszyngtona Avenue Skyscraper | |
|---|---|
 2B Jerzego Waszyngtona Avenue Skyscraper in 2019. | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Apartment building |
| Location | Warsaw, Poland |
| Address | 2B Jerzego Waszyngtona Avenue |
| Coordinates | 52°14′17.50″N 21°03′12.20″E / 52.2381944°N 21.0533889°E |
| Construction started | 1962 |
| Completed | 1963 |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 13 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Marek Leykam |
2B Jerzego Waszyngtona Avenue Skyscraper is the modernist residential skyscraper in the city of Warsaw, Poland, located at 2B Jerzego Waszyngtona Avenue. It was designed by architect Marek Leykam, and built in 1963. It is an early example of modernist architecture in Poland, and upon construction, it was the first skyscraper built on the right bank of Vistula river in Warsaw, and the first building in the city, with at least one wall with fully glass-covered elevation.[1][2]
It is located within the district of Praga-Południe, in the municipal neighbourhood of Saska Kępa,[3] and the City Information System area of Saska Kępa.[4]
History[edit]
The building was commissioned by the housing cooperative of Wspólny Dach.[5] It was designed by architect Marek Leykam in modernist style, and was built between 1962 and 1963. The building was originally built with its south and north walls having elevation consisting fully of glass windows which reached from floors to ceilings. The glass walls were hold by concrete V-shaped s, one on each sides. The skyscraper also had lift shafts partially covered in glass, through which were visible the loggias. In the building were located apartments and a library. It was also planned to place a revolving restaurant at the roof, which was never realized. The reminder of such plans is a concrete circle at the top of the building.[1][2]
The glass elevation was badly isolated, causing the apartments to get very hot in the summers, and very cold in the winters. Many inhabitants also complained about lack of privacy. As such, in 1973 the glass elevation was replaced by brick walls and two-times smaller windows. The characteristic V-shaped concrete supporters at the base of the building, and the windows of lift shafts, were also removed.[2][6][5]
In the 1990s, on the roof of the building was placed a turret clock and neon sign advertising Jubiler store.[2]
Characteristics and design[edit]
The apartment building is located at 2B Jerzego Waszyngtona Avenue. It has 13 storeys. On its roof is placed a concrete circle, which was originally placed there as foundation of a planned revolving restaurant which was never finished. The elevation of south and north walls of the building is covered in brick walls and glass windows. Originally, the building was designed and built with aforementioned elevations fully covered in glass windows, which extended from floors to ceilings.[1][2]
In popular culture[edit]
The photography of the building, for its innovative design as an early example of modernist architecture in Poland, had been used to depict entry "Polish architecture" (architektura polska) in the encyclopedia of Wielka Encyklopedia Powszechna PWN (Great Universal Encyclopedia of PWN).[1][2]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d Magdalena Piwowar, Grzegorz Piątek, Jarosław Trybuś: SAS. Ilustrowany atlas architektury Saskiej Kępy. Centrum Architektury, 2012, p. 16. ISBN 978-83-934574-0-3. (in Polish)
- ^ a b c d e f "Szklany dom – historia nowatorskiego wieżowca przy Rondzie Waszyngtona". morizon.pl/ (in Polish). 4 April 2019.
- ^ Uchwała Nr 328/LI/2010 Rady Dzielnicy Praga Południe m. st. Warszawy z dnia 19 kwietnia 2010 r. w sprawie nadania statutów oraz ustalenia zasad i trybu przeprowadzenia wyborów do organów jednostek pomocniczych niższego rzędu istniejących na terenie Dzielnicy Praga-Południe m. st. Warszawy. Warsaw. 19 April 2010. (in Polish)
- ^ "Obszary MSI. Dzielnica Praga-Południe". zdm.waw.pl (in Polish).
- ^ a b "Waszyngtona 2b". twoja-praga.pl (in Polish).
- ^ Hanna Faryna-Paszkiewicz: Saska Kępa. Warsaw: Murator, 2001, p. 114. ISBN 83-915407-0-7. (in Polish).
External links[edit]
Media related to Jerzego Waszyngtona 2B in Warsaw at Wikimedia Commons