Group moves to protect Warsaw's historical buildings

The Warsaw Cultural Heritage Patrons Group (ZOKDW) has declared war on city officials in a bid to save the capital's 19th century architecture. Janusz Sujecki, a member of ZOKDW, told the WBJ last week that he would appeal to the regional government and if necessary the culture minister to investigate decisions made by Andrzej Wojciechowski, the former architecture conservator. "It's a war against city officials and corruption, not against investors," Sujecki said. ZOKDW, which aims to preserve Warsaw's historical buildings, was established 20 years ago and receives free advice from architecture professionals. "We want to know what the conservator's intention was when he literally contributed to the demolition of the historical mansion at ul. Mokotowska 19 and for his role in other renovation projects," Sujecki added. The razing of the Mokotowska 19 building, where Warsaw-based investor Nieruchomości Przy Placu Zbawiciela plans to build a three-story office development, triggered a public debate on the capital's few remaining pre-World War II buildings. Sujecki charges that Wojciechowski didn't go far enough to save as much of the old building as possible. "All we know is that (it) was to be registered on the list of city monuments, which would have saved it from demolition, but in 1999 Wojciechowski became the city conservator and stopped the procedure," Sujecki said. "Then he told us that only part of the wall facing ulica Marszałkowska would be demolished and the third floor, lost during the war, would be carefully reconstructed but he didn't keep his word." Earlier this month, Nieruchomości Przy Placu Zbawiciela started demolition work on the structure, leaving just two facades standing. While the company said that it had the conservator's permission to knock the building down, the demolition sparked a vehement debate on the fate of other historical buildings in Warsaw. Piotr Fogler, director of the Śródmieście district where the building is located, defended the project, saying that modernizing the Mokotowska 19 mansion was the only way to save what remained of its 19th century architecture. Time running out ZOKDW now plans to register as many buildings as possible with Warsaw's historical monuments list. The group has already applied to the conservator to register a 19th-century building on ulica Chmielna. "I will not give you the exact address," he said. "We want to be first this time because I know about an investor that plans to act in the same way as Nieruchomości Przy Placu Zbawiciela on Mokotowska 19." The majority of Warsaw's pre-World War II buildings, neglected for 50 years under communism, desperately need renovation. Sujecki said that potential investors could turn them into hotels or high-end apartment buildings. "But every single building requires individual treatment," he said. "Some of them can be demolished and then carefully reconstructed, but some of them have to be thoroughly renovated because everything from the staircases to facades is priceless and has to be saved." Ireneusz Tondera, director of the Praga Północ district, where many of Warsaw's pre-war buildings are located, said investors are vital because the city can't afford to renovate all of its historical buildings. "Whenever I use city funds I have to choose between monuments and everyday problems such as bumpy roads that need to be fixed," said Tondera, who last year authorized zł. 3 million ($730,000) to renovate historical buildings on ulicas Targowa and Floriańska. "So we need investors, but one has to remember that investors are not charity institutions. They want to make money so it all depends on how much money they want to make. If it's really a lot of money, what you get is the Mokotowska case." Tondera said it's possible, however, to avoid such controversial situations. "All you need is a precise and transparent decision-making process on the side of local authorities and tight monitoring by the city conservator," he said. "Take the mansion on ul. Marszałkowska 71, it was in even worse shape than the one on Mokotowska but the effects of its renovation are simply great," he said. "(Italian developer Dueerre) renovated the well in the courtyard and kept all the details including the 19th-century doors. It's only a question of good will." But what Sujecki refers to good will, Sven von der Heyden, managing director of the Netherlands-based Von der Heyden Group, calls philanthropy. The developer plans to renovate a historical building on ulica Wilcza and turn it into a luxurious residential building. "You cannot compare the return on new office buildings to that generated from renovated historical buildings," he said. "Besides, there are all kinds of barriers. It took us six months to collect all of the necessary permits and documents, and then construction work is also very difficult to coordinate. On top of that, the conservator is monitoring construction and can torpedo a lot of things, which of course is right but you need to be prepared for that." He also said there are only a few investors who are not discouraged by the problems associated with renovating historical buildings. "There are up to 10 investors on the market who really do the job properly instead of only painting the facades," he said. Von der Heyden's firm is also renovating a 19th-century mansion house in Lublin that will be reopened as a four-star, 75-room hotel. "I love old buildings, it's a tremendous challenge to renovate them," he said. "On the other hand you have to be kind of a masochist to do it."