Heritage lost
Warsaw mayor Lech Kaczyński, while participating in the groundbreaking ceremony of ING Real Estate's Złote Tarasy investment earlier this month, pointed out that Warsaw's loss of nineteenth-century architecture, which abounds in Prague or Budapest, should be compensated for by twenty-first-century projects such as the mixed-use concept.
The majority of Warsaw's heritage buildings, mostly those under city ownership, are in an acute state of disrepair. With most of them located in the ródmiecie district, the heart of the town is quickly becoming a mixture of contrasts. On the one hand, multimillion-euro schemes such as Złote Tarasy are being erected; on the other, just a few steps away remain the shabby townhouses on ulica Sienna. Urban planner and architect, Krzysztof Domaradzki, was quick to observe earlier last year that the city centre is becoming poorer and the increasing ruin of the little that is left of its prewar heritage is proof that the city is unable to continue to handle the matter on its own.
Praga, a stone's throw away on the other side of the Wisła, also boasts many heritage townhouses, but the district's representatives argue that unless adequate funding becomes available, the buildings will either have to patiently wait and crumble, or seek private owners. According to Robert Sosnowski, director of the Praga North (Praga Północ) district, €170 million alone is required simply to assure the safety of the area's heritage buildings. The figure, which is seven times the annual budget of the entire district, does not include renovation estimates.
It is private owners who more often than not restore the buildings to their former appearances, and they are naturally interested in a return on their investments, which can result in unparalleled rent increases. Once renovated, the buildings tend to no longer offer residential space, but are largely devoted to office space or luxury boutique hotels.
Rather than investing in a 200-square-metre apartment in the heart of the capital, many Varsovians nowadays prefer to move to the suburbs.
Wiesław Orzęcki, ródmiecie district spokesman, explains that while a lot of the older buildings in the city centre have already been returned to their rightful owners by presidential decree, there are still many claims pending on land as well as houses.
"If there are court proceedings underway, then until the case is finished the city will not do any work on a building because if it is returned to its owner, we will never get our money back," he said. "We can only make some basic changes for safety reasons."
Orzęcki also points out that due to the general conservator's strict stipulations, the renovation of a building under its care is four to five times more expensive than otherwise.
Buildings whose ownership is under dispute pose one of the biggest headaches for the city, because it has little control over the state they are in. But where the city does have control it can come across what Orzęcki labels as "the worst problem," the so-called housing communes. The communes consist of all the inhabitants who have repurchased their apartments from the city and are now their sole and rightful owners. The general rule, therefore, is that an owner of what effectively is a part of the building must pay for part of its renovation, which cannot happen without the approval of the majority of the commune members. Herein lies the problem, because depending on the percentage of commune ownership in the building, its members have to contribute the equivalent percentage to the renovation.
"Some of them are old people, some are rather poor, and there are problems getting all of them to contribute the money," Orzęcki said. "Without the commune's consent we cannot do as much as hammer a nail in the wall."
He adds that an average renovation of an old building can cost €240,000-€370,000. When it turns out that the residents would have to contribute €48,000 of the total sum, interest in renovation quickly dissipates.
Meanwhile, the rents paid to the city are used for everyday expenses, while funds for renovations and more significant building maintenance are gained from billboards, signs and the leasing of ground floor space for cafes, restaurants and shops.
"There are a lot of buildings in Warsaw that have not been renovated since the war because no one has been taking care of them," Orzęcki said. "The communal housing department was only created in the 1990s."
In previous years the city used to spend €9.7 million-€14.5 million on the renovation of communal housing. Now, with Warsaw's debts possibly exceeding €623 million by the end of 2003 and the proposed budget restructuring, it doesn't seem likely that the city districts will receive any further funding for communal housing renovation.
"We used to receive renovation subsidies from the city, for the renovation of the electrical and gas installations, but now we are on our own," Orzęcki said. "When a building was entirely city-owned, which is very rare now, there was no problem with renovation."
The city, therefore, has turned to advertising sponsors, whose ads cover the scaffolding during renovations. According to Orzęcki, the Jacobs ad currently covering the Royal Castle could have set the advertiser back a hefty €120,000.
Orzęcki believes that more could be done with the appearance and the state of the heritage buildings, if their new owners were allowed more construction and renovation leeway by the general conservator.
"The city's appearance would benefit if someone who expresses interest in the purchase of a building would also be allowed to make minor alterations to its exterior appearance," Orzęcki said. "So what if the buildings are old? They are falling apart."
Margarita Szulińska, the registry director at the general conservator's office, said that Warsaw heritage-building proprietors are famous for filing appeals with the registry, against the inclusion of their property on the heritage list.
"It would prevent demolition, which is what they ultimately want," she said.
Szulińska said the procedure of entering a building on the heritage list can last anywhere from three or four weeks if there are no complications, to many months if there are appeals. The entry proceedings can either begin on the initiative of the conservator, or of people interested in the matter. A building can be declared as heritage, based on its age or historic and cultural value, if for instance a famous figure used to live there, but also if it is an extremely well-preserved example of the architecture of a certain period. The general conservator expects individual districts to not only to keep track of heritage buildings, but also to keep track of those that should be protected. But according to Szulińska, the execution of that task varies.
Orzęcki traces the current situation in the city centre to the late 1940s, when an employment crisis brought many people to Warsaw. Thousands of people from all over the country came to the capital and eventually settled there, entire families in one room. Later, young people moved to what was deemed "better housing" in the block-development projects, while the elderly and the poor stayed behind.
Most buildings which do undergo thorough renovation have private owners, who change the structures' profiles from residential to commercial or office space once the renovations are completed. Dom Dochodowy o Trzech Frontach on Plac Trzech Krzyży was turned into a luxury office building by Platan Group; a rare Zakopane-style townhouse on ulica Chmielna was recently restored and now offers apartments for short stays; while Ceraco Development Polska is currently restoring a building on the corner of ulica Chmielna and ulica Nowy wiat back to its former glory.
According to Ceraco Polska director and board member, Sergiusz Madurowicz, the development should be ready by April. He estimated the costs of renovation at several million euro and added that the building already has tenants for its retail and office space, while some of the previous inhabitants will continue to reside in newly restored apartments.
This, according to real estate agents, such as Małgorzata Kopszywa from OberHaus, is probably one of the best investments firms or individual owners could currently make on the Warsaw property market.
"There is a fashion for such locations, provided they have been renovated," she said.
The majority of Warsaw's heritage buildings, mostly those under city ownership, are in an acute state of disrepair. With most of them located in the ródmiecie district, the heart of the town is quickly becoming a mixture of contrasts. On the one hand, multimillion-euro schemes such as Złote Tarasy are being erected; on the other, just a few steps away remain the shabby townhouses on ulica Sienna. Urban planner and architect, Krzysztof Domaradzki, was quick to observe earlier last year that the city centre is becoming poorer and the increasing ruin of the little that is left of its prewar heritage is proof that the city is unable to continue to handle the matter on its own.
Praga, a stone's throw away on the other side of the Wisła, also boasts many heritage townhouses, but the district's representatives argue that unless adequate funding becomes available, the buildings will either have to patiently wait and crumble, or seek private owners. According to Robert Sosnowski, director of the Praga North (Praga Północ) district, €170 million alone is required simply to assure the safety of the area's heritage buildings. The figure, which is seven times the annual budget of the entire district, does not include renovation estimates.
It is private owners who more often than not restore the buildings to their former appearances, and they are naturally interested in a return on their investments, which can result in unparalleled rent increases. Once renovated, the buildings tend to no longer offer residential space, but are largely devoted to office space or luxury boutique hotels.
Rather than investing in a 200-square-metre apartment in the heart of the capital, many Varsovians nowadays prefer to move to the suburbs.
Wiesław Orzęcki, ródmiecie district spokesman, explains that while a lot of the older buildings in the city centre have already been returned to their rightful owners by presidential decree, there are still many claims pending on land as well as houses.
"If there are court proceedings underway, then until the case is finished the city will not do any work on a building because if it is returned to its owner, we will never get our money back," he said. "We can only make some basic changes for safety reasons."
Orzęcki also points out that due to the general conservator's strict stipulations, the renovation of a building under its care is four to five times more expensive than otherwise.
Buildings whose ownership is under dispute pose one of the biggest headaches for the city, because it has little control over the state they are in. But where the city does have control it can come across what Orzęcki labels as "the worst problem," the so-called housing communes. The communes consist of all the inhabitants who have repurchased their apartments from the city and are now their sole and rightful owners. The general rule, therefore, is that an owner of what effectively is a part of the building must pay for part of its renovation, which cannot happen without the approval of the majority of the commune members. Herein lies the problem, because depending on the percentage of commune ownership in the building, its members have to contribute the equivalent percentage to the renovation.
"Some of them are old people, some are rather poor, and there are problems getting all of them to contribute the money," Orzęcki said. "Without the commune's consent we cannot do as much as hammer a nail in the wall."
He adds that an average renovation of an old building can cost €240,000-€370,000. When it turns out that the residents would have to contribute €48,000 of the total sum, interest in renovation quickly dissipates.
Meanwhile, the rents paid to the city are used for everyday expenses, while funds for renovations and more significant building maintenance are gained from billboards, signs and the leasing of ground floor space for cafes, restaurants and shops.
"There are a lot of buildings in Warsaw that have not been renovated since the war because no one has been taking care of them," Orzęcki said. "The communal housing department was only created in the 1990s."
In previous years the city used to spend €9.7 million-€14.5 million on the renovation of communal housing. Now, with Warsaw's debts possibly exceeding €623 million by the end of 2003 and the proposed budget restructuring, it doesn't seem likely that the city districts will receive any further funding for communal housing renovation.
"We used to receive renovation subsidies from the city, for the renovation of the electrical and gas installations, but now we are on our own," Orzęcki said. "When a building was entirely city-owned, which is very rare now, there was no problem with renovation."
The city, therefore, has turned to advertising sponsors, whose ads cover the scaffolding during renovations. According to Orzęcki, the Jacobs ad currently covering the Royal Castle could have set the advertiser back a hefty €120,000.
Orzęcki believes that more could be done with the appearance and the state of the heritage buildings, if their new owners were allowed more construction and renovation leeway by the general conservator.
"The city's appearance would benefit if someone who expresses interest in the purchase of a building would also be allowed to make minor alterations to its exterior appearance," Orzęcki said. "So what if the buildings are old? They are falling apart."
Margarita Szulińska, the registry director at the general conservator's office, said that Warsaw heritage-building proprietors are famous for filing appeals with the registry, against the inclusion of their property on the heritage list.
"It would prevent demolition, which is what they ultimately want," she said.
Szulińska said the procedure of entering a building on the heritage list can last anywhere from three or four weeks if there are no complications, to many months if there are appeals. The entry proceedings can either begin on the initiative of the conservator, or of people interested in the matter. A building can be declared as heritage, based on its age or historic and cultural value, if for instance a famous figure used to live there, but also if it is an extremely well-preserved example of the architecture of a certain period. The general conservator expects individual districts to not only to keep track of heritage buildings, but also to keep track of those that should be protected. But according to Szulińska, the execution of that task varies.
Orzęcki traces the current situation in the city centre to the late 1940s, when an employment crisis brought many people to Warsaw. Thousands of people from all over the country came to the capital and eventually settled there, entire families in one room. Later, young people moved to what was deemed "better housing" in the block-development projects, while the elderly and the poor stayed behind.
Most buildings which do undergo thorough renovation have private owners, who change the structures' profiles from residential to commercial or office space once the renovations are completed. Dom Dochodowy o Trzech Frontach on Plac Trzech Krzyży was turned into a luxury office building by Platan Group; a rare Zakopane-style townhouse on ulica Chmielna was recently restored and now offers apartments for short stays; while Ceraco Development Polska is currently restoring a building on the corner of ulica Chmielna and ulica Nowy wiat back to its former glory.
According to Ceraco Polska director and board member, Sergiusz Madurowicz, the development should be ready by April. He estimated the costs of renovation at several million euro and added that the building already has tenants for its retail and office space, while some of the previous inhabitants will continue to reside in newly restored apartments.
This, according to real estate agents, such as Małgorzata Kopszywa from OberHaus, is probably one of the best investments firms or individual owners could currently make on the Warsaw property market.
"There is a fashion for such locations, provided they have been renovated," she said.
