Vul. Drahomanova, 22 – residential building

ID: 2460

The four-storied row townhouse was built in 1910-1911 under a project designed by Stanisław Dec, a builder, for himself and his wife Wiktorya. It is an example of a residential townhouse, rather typical of that time, which is, however, notable for its Neo-Gothic décor. Some fragments of wall paintings have been preserved under the whitewash in the staircase interior, including figures of knights in armor. The building is an architectural monument (protection number 895).

History

Already in the early 19^th century there was a residential building on the plot, which occupied the territory of the contemporary houses number 22 on Drahomanova street and number 17 on Popovycha street. In 1828 the owner, Matheusz Bielecki, added three premises to the house: a vestibule in the center and two rooms on both sides. The resulting façade had no decoration, only the windows had simple trimmings (DALO 2/1/3401:23).

The house project, approved on 11 September 1845, has been preserved. The house was located on Popovycha street. The two-storied building was L-shaped in plan and had two rows of enfilade rooms in its frontal part. The main façade had six axes, an asymmetrically located gate led to a wide entryway. The entrance to the stairs, which were located in the wing, was arranged from the courtyard. On the edge of the wing, there were toilets (DALO 2/1/3401:24).

A 1846 project, signed by Josef Rosnowicz, shows a small single-storied structure, which likely was a cart shed (DALO 2/1/3401:25). In 1849 Bielecki initiated the construction of a new masonry shed, which was located close to the neighboring plot in the north east, but was not adjacent to the fence. The building consisted of one room, its main façade had an entrance in the center and a window on either side (DALO 2/1/3401:26). In 1861 the old shed was demolished and a small residential house was built in its place, with a vestibule, a small kitchen and two rooms on both sides (DALO 2/1/3401:27). In 1877 an old pottery workshop was reconstructed into a home. The project was carried out by Jozef Mühel, a builder (baumeister) (DALO 2/1/3401:28).

In 1879 the front building's façade wall, overlooking Drahomanova street, was demolished, and two premises were added under a project designed by Adolf Grochowalski. The new façade had three windows, the building's corners were emphasized by rustication (DALO 2/1/3401:29).

In 1909 the plot was purchased by Stanisław Dec, a builder, and his wife Wiktorya. In May of that same year they were granted permission to dismantle the single-storied house and wings overlooking Drahomanova street, the second floor of the building overlooking Popovycha street, and single-storied closets on the site (DALO 2/1/3401:7). It was then that the plot was divided in two; the part facing Drahomanova street was assigned a new conscription number 1862 ¼ (DALO 2/1/3401:8). In February of 1910 the Decs received permission to build a new four-storied building. Already in August of that same year the construction was completed. On 31 August moving into the building was authorized (DALO 2/1/3401:9-14).

On 25 February 1911 a contract of sale was signed between the Decs and Mina Horowitz, née Waldberg, who purchased the plot and the building (DALO 2/1/3401:19).

The building has changed little since it was constructed. The roofing and some part of the wooden windows were replaced, a grocery shop was arranged in a few semi-basement premises. The paintings on the staircase walls and ceiling were whitewashed.

Architecture

This four-storied row building is the former residential townhouse owned by Stanisław Dec, a builder, and constructed in 1910-1911 under his own project. At the same time, a similar house was constructed on ul. Śnieżna, 5 (now vul. Snizna, 5). The townhouse is located on a steep slope. It borders on a three-storied Secession-style townhouse on the left and on an undeveloped area on the right, is one of the highest in the street and contrasts with the neighbouring buildings both due to its height and style.

As regards the layout, it is an example of the early Modernist townhouse of the first years of the 20^th century. Reinforced concrete was used in the construction, the main staircase consists of a metal structure with wooden steps. The U-shaped building has an L-shaped wing; its courtyard is connected with the neighboring building.s courtyard on vul. Hlibova, 2. According to the original plan, the building's semi- basement was occupied by 2 living rooms, an apartment for the caretaker, 1 toilet, 7 cellars, 2 staircases. The ground floor consisted of 8 living rooms, 3 vestibules, 3 kitchens, 1 room for a servant, 3 bathrooms, 3 toilets, 2 staircases, 1 entryway. The upper floors were arranged similarly. In the rear wing, there was a laundry in the attic.

The main six-axis façade has a clearly emphasized central axis of symmetry, which, however, is broken by the entrance portal location. Traditionally, the ground floor level is separated on the façade by a cornice. The main façade composition is expressly vertical. The central axis is emphasized by a thin protruded wall section, topped with a wimperg and a rectangular (in plan) bay window on the second and third floors, which is supported by column consoles at the ground floor level.

All windows are rectangular and have typical Neo-Gothic profiled trimmings with fascias(so-called Stabwerk). On the second floor the trimmings are made up of a blind lancet arch, with a tracery composition of two trefoils and a circle in the tympanum. Below these windows, there are also inserts with flat balustrades with small lancet arches. Apart from the window trimmings, the lancet arch motif is also used in the blind arcade under the crowning cornice and in an attic window on the gable.

The gable design is stylized by an early Gothic wimperg: above the fourth floor windows, a semicircular arch, a triangular gable, with two pinnacles on the edges. In its center, there is a small lancet attic window. It is due to the gable that one can see that originally the façade had an imitation of stonework in plaster, which, obviously, was plastered and repainted during some repair works.

Before the construction of the building, apart from the façade project implemented in the Neo-Gothic style, another one was also designed, in the Neo-Classicist / Neo-Empire style. The general composition, size and proportions are virtually identical in both versions, the differences can be seen only in decorative details. Instead of profiled trimmings of the lancet windows, the other project stipulated semicircular ones supported by small consoles, with a stucco shell in the filling; on the third floor, paired windows with linear pediments; instead of the blind arcade, a wide Doric entablature with metopes and triglyphs; instead of the gable, a pediment with three acroteria on the corners.

Personalities

Matheusz Bielecki (also Matheas, Mathias Bielecki) – owner of the real estate with former buildings

Tekla Bielecka – a heiress of Mateusz Bielecki, owner of the real estate

Rafał Buber, Dr – a lawyer of Mina Horowitz

Stanisław Dec – a constructor (licensed builder), building's first owner and its designer

Wiktorya Dec – Stanisław Dec's wife, a co-owner of the building

Adolph Grochowаlski – an architect

Mina Horowitz née Waldberg – owner of the building, she resided at ul. Sykstuska, 56a (the present vul. Doroshenka)

Tekla Kulik – an owner of a neghboring building

Jan Matkowski – an owner of a neghboring building in the 1840s

Josef Mühel – a constructor/builder, who designed an adaptation of a former pottery workshop on the site

Adela Pietrzycka – an owner of a neighboring building number 15 on vul. Popovycha
Józef Rosnowicz – he designed a small one storey building on the site in 1846

Paweł Rucki – an owner of a neighboring building on the place of present one on vul. Hlibova, 2

Feliks Sokal, Dr – a lawyer of Mina Horowitz
Marcin Szeptycki – an owner of a neghboring building in 1828

Włodzimierz Voerer –an owner of a neighboring building

Betty Wolloch – a co-owner of the building in 1935

Nachmiel Wolloch – a co-owner of the building in 1935

Sources

State Archive of Lviv Oblast (DALO) 2/1/3401.
Księga adresowa (1935–1936).

Material compiled by Olha Zarechnyuk