Vul. Kopernyka, 4 – bank building ID: 373
The five-story building of the former Land Credit Partnership (1912–1914) was designed by Alfred Zachariewicz and Józef Sosnowski. Two monumental sculptures of a winged Mercury were created by Zygmunt Kurczyński. The side façade facing Bankivska Street is adorned at the top with four sculptural representations of horses' heads. Along the ground floor of the bank, arched display windows are arranged, between which there are several side entrances to the building, decorated with an exquisite lace of metal grilles. The main entrance leads to a large operations hall covered by a glass roof. The interior of the bank is adorned with ornamental paintings by Kajetan Stefanowicz and a panel by Zygmunt Rozwadowський. Today (as of 2009), the Lviv branch of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) is located here.
Architecture
The building is a brick, plastered, five-story structure with a high sloped roof. In plan, it is approximately rectangular, with two narrow inner courtyards. Reinforced concrete, metal, and glass were used in the construction.
The center of the façade facing vul. Kopernyka is accentuated by an avant-corps with the main entrance portal, configured with massive pilasters and topped by a powerful attic with Mercury busts installed upon it.
The side façade (facing vul. Bankivska), complemented by two avant-corps and a slight projection of a bay window, features a more austere decoration. On its left edge, a driveway leading to the inner courtyard is arranged. The façades are divided horizontally by cornices and stringcourses. The windows are rectangular, without surrounds.
The core of the planning structure is the main operations hall, covered by a glass barrel vault, and situated on the same axis as the central staircase, the vestibule, and the boardroom. Office spaces are grouped around the block of these grand interiors.
Ornamental paintings by K. Stefanowicz and a panel by Z. Rozwadowski are preserved in the interior. Polychrome stone is widely used in the decoration.
