Vul. Sichovykh Striltsiv, 14 – building of Ivan Franko University (former residential house)

ID: 2402

The monumental building, part of dense quarter of the University buildings' block was once home to several well-known banks (such as Credit Institution for Trade and Industry — presently Creditanstalt). It was built in 1883–1884 according to the design of Julian Zachariewicz, the leading architect of Lviv historicism. The exterior shows Neo-Renaissance motifs. Later extensions are dated by 1909–1911 and 1922–1923. Presently, the Law faculty of Ivan Franko National University in Lviv is located here.

History

Building No 14 on vul. Sichovykh Striltsiv is located on a land plot marked in the early 1880s with conscription number 896 2/4 (DALO 2/1/1086:45). The parcel of 1056 sq.m. was allocated out of a larger site (conscr. #717 2/4) that used to be owned by the Galician Diet upon the construction in 1881 of a monumental building of the Diet and the regional board, presently — the main building of Ivan Franko National university in Lviv (vul. Universytetska, 1).

In 1883-1884, a a four-storey Neo-Renaissance building was constructed on the newly formed parcel #896 2/4. It was built as a private townhouse of the Sejm deputy Stanislaw Brykczyński. The project plans for the Brykczyński townhouse were approved on April, 10, 1883 (DALO 2/1/1086:46-54). The building must have been completed in 1884. The approved project designs have Brykczyński's signatures on but the architect's name is missing. However, the 19^th c. publications have records that the designer for the townhouse was the leading architect of Lviv historicism Julian Oktawian Zachariewicz (Przewodnik, 1886, 140).

Shortly after, Brykczyńki sold his townhouse. During the next several decades, it was owned by banking institutions. Thus, around 1900, the building was purchased by the Galician Credit Bank (Galicyjski Bank Kredytowy) (Barański, 1902, 143). In the end of the first decade of the 20^th c., the townhouse changes hands to a leading Austrian banking institution founded in 1855 by Anselm von Rothschild, "The Royal Imperial Privileged Credit Institution for Trade and Industry" (k.k. priv. Österreichische Credit-Anstalt für Handel und Gewerbe — presently Creditanstalt, abbr. СА). As commissioned by a Lviv branch of the bank, the architectural bureau of the construction firm of Józef Sosnowski and Alfred Zachariewicz prepared a project design for a fundamental reconstruction of the building. Lviv magistrate approved the reconstruction plan on November, 19, 1909. In 1909–1911, the above mentioned firm performed the relevant construction works and completed the reconstruction on February, 3, 1911 (DALO 2/1/1086:13). As a result, the main entrance was relocated to the southern façade, a spacious operations hall was added in the inner yard (DALO 2/1/1086:74), and the old floor slabs were replaced with the elements of reinforced concrete carcass (it allowed removing excessive inside walls). In the building, they installed an elevator of the firm "A. Freissler" (DALO 2/1/1086:10-12).

In the early 1920s, the former Brykczyński townhouse was purchased by Warsaw Discount Bank (Bank Dyskontowy Warszawski). The new owner initiated the construction of a superstructure in 1922–1923, the fifth floor and the attic level. The project design was adopted by the resolution of the magistrate on November, 17, 1922 (DALO 2/1/1086:28). Architectural development and the construction works were performed by a well-known Lviv construction company of Michał Ulam. In 1926, the supporting structures of the staircase were reinforced (DALO 2/1/1086:31).

After the Second World War, the building passed into the ownership of the university. Presently, it is occupied by the Law Faculty of Ivan Franko National University in Lviv.

Architecture

Building #14 on vul. Sichovykh Striltsiv is a corner building. Together with the adjoining building #16 it forms a group, thus accentuating the southern side of the university block (former Galician Diet block). It is included into the line of row houses on vul. Sichovykh Striltsiv and Kostiushka.

The building has six storeys, and an attic. Two symmetrical façades have six window axes each. The southern façade facing vul. Sichovykh Striltsiv is flanked with wide slender avant-corps. It has three balconies, with the main entrance portal to the left. The eastern façade, on the side of vul. Kostiushka, next to the right edge, has an arched gateway and a driveway to the courtyard. The windows of the third floor are framed with the "broken" Mannerist profiles and have triangular pediments on top. Horizontal divisions dominate in the façades' composition, they are accentuated with wide a cornice with modilions above the 4^th floor, and with a narrower one above the 2^nd floor, as well as with stripes of horizontal rustication.

The land plot where the building #14 stands is trapezoidal in shape, its proportions approach a square. Three wings of the building enclose the courtyard adjacent to the southern boundary wall of the main university building. The layout is U-shaped. Major part of the courtyard area is covered with the one-storey pavilion (added in 1909–1911). The western fireproof wall borders with the building #16.

Inside, there is a corridor-type arrangement. The staircase is square shaped in the layout. It is located in the corner between the southern and eastern wings. Presently, the former office rooms of the banking institution are adapted to function as classrooms of the Law Faculty of Ivan Franko National University in Lviv. The pavilion of the old operations hall in the courtyard is transformed into a library block.

There are neo-Renaissance motifs in the decoration of the facades (originally included in the design of Julian Zachariewicz). As to decorative details, moulded consoles and forged gratings are notable, as well as carving and forging adornments of the entrance gate on the eastern façade. Later, molded metal detailson the upper floor was added (maskarons of the roof drainage). In the interiors, neo-Classicist shapes of the early 20^th c. are dominant, they had been introduced during the reconstruction of 1909–1911.

Personalities

Alfred Zachariewicz (Alfred Zachariewicz) — a co-owner of the construction firm which handled the reconstruction of the townhouse in 1909–1911.
Anselm von Rothschild (Anselm Salomon von Rothschild) — founder of the "Royal Imperial Privileged Institution for Trade and Industry".
Michal Ułam — engineer and architect, owner of the construction firm designing and perfoming works for the superstructure of the 5^th floor and the attic level.
Stanisław Brykczyński — ambassador to the Sejm, owner of the townhouse built in 1883–1884 and named in his honour.
Józef Sosnowski — architect and developer, co-owner of the construction firm performing the reconstruction of the townhouse in 1909–1911.
Julian Oktawian Zachariewicz (Julian Oktawian Zachariewicz) — a prominent architect, author of the project design for the Brykczyński townhouse.

Sources

State Archive of Lviv Oblast (DALO) 2/1/1086.
Barański F., Przewodnik po Lwowie: Z planem i widokami Lwowa (Lwów: b.d., 1902), 143.
Przewodnik z Krakowa do Lwowa, Podhorzec, Podwołoczysk, Brodów, Słobody Rungierskiej, Czerniowiec i po Lwowie (Lwów, 1896), 140.

By Ihor Zhuk

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