Home of the company “Hurwicz and s-ka”

73 Grzybowska Street, Warsaw
1935-36

The tenement house at Grzybowska Street was built on a plot of land belonging to the owners of the “J. Hurwicz” Graphic Works, located between industrial and tenement buildings. In a neighborhood characterized by buildings with an eclectic design, the building stood out with its minimalist facade. In the design of the facade, the architects aimed to simplify it as much as possible–both in the form of details and the number of window openings. They operated with repetitive elements, creating simple, symmetrical compositions. In the case of the Grzybowska tenement, two solutions characteristic for modernism were used–long, horizontal eight-pane windows and the so-called “thermometer window” cutting vertically through the front wall, providing light to the staircase. Syrkus couple also designed the tenement house at 71 Zlota St. in a similar manner. The impression of symmetry of the facade was emphasized by a slight moving back of a narrow strip of wall in the eastern part of the elevation at the junction with the neighboring building. The first floor was visually distinguished by a cladding of dark brown ceramic tiles. The tenement house was equipped with central heating and an elevator; the three ground-floor units at the front were intended for retail and service activities.

Exhibition photos by Katarzyna Średnicka