Fire lookout tower - Zabytek.pl
Address
Białystok, Warszawska 3
Location
woj. podlaskie, pow. Białystok, gm. Białystok
History
The structure was erected in 1891 for the Municipal Fire Service as a fire lookout tower. At the very top of the structure was a wooden observation deck, with the trumpeter’s quarters positioned directly underneath. For many years, the tower remained the tallest structure in the city. In 1958, the interior was adapted as a fire hose drying facility equipped with a dedicated hoist mechanism.
Description
The tower is situated in the back section of a plot of land at 3 Warszawska street, surrounded by other structures from three sides. A three-storey army barracks building is located north-west of the tower. The structure was designed on a square floor plan, its entrance preceded by a short flight of steps (three in total). The total height of the structure is 25.4 metres. The tower consists of three distinct sections; the lower section, designed as a vertically positioned cuboid, the tapering middle section with the date “1891” visible just below the cornice and the uppermost section which takes the form of a vertical cuboid structure just like the lowermost part of the tower. The tower is a brick structure, with both the lower and the middle section being made of red brick. In the uppermost section, both red and yellow brick is used, arranged in alternating horizontal bands of three bricks each. The uppermost section of the tower features a pronounced crowning cornice, with slightly overhanging corner sections and a second cornice positioned about mid-height. The tower is surmounted by a modern metal railing as well as various antennae. An external, metal staircase with several landings is attached to the south-western wall of the structure. The window and door openings feature brick surrounds; some of them have subsequently been bricked up and no longer serve their original purpose.
Access to the building is limited.
compiled by Grażyna Rogala, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Białystok, 10-12-2014.
Bibliography
- Lechowski A., Białystok. Przewodnik historyczny, Białystok [no year of issue stated], pp. 197, 200, fig. p. 158.
- Dolistowska M., W poszukiwaniu tożsamości miasta. Architektura i urbanistyka Białegostoku w latach 1795-1939, Białystok 2009, p. 179, fig. p. 179.
Category: other
Architecture: nieznana
Building material:
brick
Protection: Register of monuments, Monuments records
Inspire id: PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_N_20_BL.17793, PL.1.9.ZIPOZ.NID_E_20_BL.18277