In 2023, as part of the program of grants for monuments, financed from the budget of the city of Gdynia, works were carried out on 10 facilities for which over PLN 1,000,000 was allocated.
Below we present the work done on 5 of them.
Residential building at 28 Olsztyńska Str.
renovation of the east and north facades
View of the rear (north) facade after the works with the picture of the original condition
The building of a villa from the 1930s was designed by Maksymilian Zuske-Zdzierz - the author of many Gdynia apartment houses and villas. The facility was included in the municipal register of monuments of the City of Gdynia and under conservation protection in the local spatial development plan, where it was included in group A as a site with high cultural values.
In recent years, the building received grants for the renovation of the entrance portal with terrazzo, entrance doors as well as the south and west facades. In 2023, the restoration works on the building were completed with the renovation of the remaining facades - the north and east ones.
The east wall, finished with fine plaster, was cleaned with overheated steam and cleaning paste, secondary defects were removed from it and supplemented with mortar prepared according to the traditional plaster recipe, reconstructing the plaster elements.
The north facade was in very poor condition. Unlike the other facades, the plaster was finished here using the "smooth" method. The rotting of the plastering, fungal and lichen infestations, secondary replenishments, contamination with bituminous substance, loosening and cracks were visible. The balcony, whose exposed structural elements were covered with rust, was also in poor condition. After cleaning the facade and assessing the condition of the plaster, the original scope of plaster surfaces to be replaced was increased, the secondary additions were replaced with new plaster, the balcony and terrazzo plinth were renovated. Flashings, gutters and drain pipes were also mentioned.
The plaster visible on the east facade of the building was obtained by sprinkling a layer of plastering mortar on the facade, and then gentle topical blurring, leaving visible sockets in the structure, which darkened over time, which gave an interesting plastic effect.
The owner also carried out a number of other works on the building at his own expense, including renovation of windows.
During the cleaning works of both facades and the rear facade after breaking loose plaster
Residential building at 34 Słowackiego Str. -
renovation of the main entrance door joinery
View of the building just after construction and view of the front door before and after renovation
The building constructed in the 1930s is located in the area of the modernist urban layout of Gdynia City Centre entered in the register of monuments. It was also included in the municipal register of monuments of the City of Gdynia. It kept the original door joinery not only of the main entrance, but also of the vestibule inside.
The renovation works of the door were started by removing it and transporting it to the workshop, where it was cleaned of paint layers, showing oak wood, which was originally impregnated only with oil. The door frame was renovated on site. Scratches and defects in the wood were supplemented with resin mortar and spackling paste. The metal, including brass elements, like hinges, handles and glazing, were replaced, and the wood was protected with varnish.
Residential building at 11 Świętojańska - 9 Pułaskiego Str.
renovation of the balcony railing of the last floor
The building before and after renovation and close-up of the renovated balcony
The building is located in the area of the modernist urban layout of Gdynia City Centre entered in the register of monuments.
Last storey balcony railing from the side of Świętojańska Street was in poor condition and required renovation. The works carried out included dismantling the slabs, cleaning the structure, making new flashings and a new substructure of the railing slabs and installing the slabs.
Residential building at 48 Świętojańska Str.
renovation of details and fine plasters as well as other renovation works of the front facade
Front elevation of the building before and after renovation
Building from the 1930s. designed by Stanisław Żwirski, was subject to individual conservation protection by being included in the municipal register of monuments of the City of Gdynia
It preserved fragments of the original plastering, remnants of a terrazzo in the ground floor part and a destroyed mosaic entrance step. A few decades ago, gray cement-lime plaster was applied to the original facade plaster. The entirety was contaminated with secondary restorations. At the ground floor level, part of the red, fluted plaster divided into sections was destroyed or covered.
Modernistyczny budynek z przełomu lat 40. i 50. XX w. posiada oryginalne elementy szklenia sali gimnastycznej - skrzydła północnego wykonane z pustaków szklanych zabarwionych na kolor zielonkawy ze wzorem karbowanym pionowo.
The ground floor of the building before and during the works.
The renovation of balconies, which turned out to be in a much worse technical condition than expected, took significant time. The facade above the ground floor was cleaned, but the effect was not satisfactory. The secondary plaster turned out to adhere strongly to the historical one, so it was decided to apply a new plaster that reproduced the primary plaster structurally and in colour. Red, fluted fine plasters in window frames, on the cornice and in the ground floor strip were renovated and restored. The mosaic entrance step was also restored, which involved the development of a special reconstruction technology.
The entrance step before, after and during the renovation, as well as fragments of the new and old mosaic.
Due to the difficulties arising from the renovation of balconies resulting from their poor condition, the work was postponed. The weather conditions did not allow the facade to be completely finished, so only part of the works were accepted. Finishing works on the ground floor facade will continue when the weather conditions improve.
Residential building at 73 Świętojańska Str.
renovation of the fine plaster of the cornice
The building before the renovation of the cornice and a fragment of the cornice after renovation works
The building erected in the 1930s was included in the municipal register of monuments of the City of Gdynia and under conservation protection in the local spatial development plan, where it was included in group B as a site of cultural value.
Fragments of the cornice were cracked, loosened and heavily stained in places. Loose and degraded parts of the plaster were removed, re-brickring was carried out within the brickwork and new layers of plastering were applied. Fluted slabs made in the workshop based on preserved fragments of old plaster were installed. Everything was protected against the penetration of water into the structure of the material.
Autor: Luiza Skrzypkowska (l.skrzypkowska@gdynia.pl)