History

Before 1613, the plot was occupied by a house with a bath. In 1613, it was purchased by Jost von Enden, who converted the house into a three-storey tenement with an imposing façade in 1438-1440 (attributed to sculptor Wilhelm Richter). In the mid-18th century, the property was owned by Peter Bentzmann. During that time, a Rococo stoop was added (work of sculptor J. H. Meissner); the tall hallway was fitted with a new staircase with a mezzanine. Since 1790, the tenement house was the property of doctor Nathanael Berend and his heir (until 1909). Since 1909, tenement no. 1 and tenement no. 2 and Tkacka no. 28-30 were owned by a company (S. F. Sohr). At that time, five tenement houses were altered and combined into a large retail and service building with a restaurant, brasserie and furniture warehouse, retaining the historic front façade. The tenement house was one of the few in Piwna Street to survive the war of 1945. The design of reconstruction of the whole corner complex was developed by architect M. Bojakowski for the Pomeranian Chamber of Crafts; the reconstruction took place in 1948-1950. The front façade underwent renovation in 1983-1984 and 2005-2006 (B. and L. Brzuskiewicz). The stoop was repaired in 1993. The tenement house is habitually referred to as “The Schlueter House”, but there is no basis for this attribution, neither with respect to the ownership of the house, nor with respect to the authorship of the façade.

Description

The tenement house is located in the western part of Piwna Street, in its densely built-up area of the southern frontage. The front façade faces the north and is preceded by a stoop including an adjacent house no. 2. The early Baroque tenement is characterised by the front façade featuring Mannerist and Baroque elements and a Rococo stoop. After the alterations and functional combination of several tenements, the original floor plan of the building is barely discernible. In the mid-19th century, the house had a floor plan of an irregular rectangle that was narrower to the front and was shallower than the neighbouring building no. 2. The body consists of two-storey basements and two-storey attic. The gable-end section of the building is covered with a gable roof flattened in the central part (with skylights). The tenement house was built of brick, whereas the portal, stoop and detail of the front façade are made of stone. The ground floor is topped by ceramic ceilings, and the basement with barrel vaults with lunettes. The monolithic roof features a reinforced concrete structure, is clad with roofing felt and roof tiles. The front façade is adorned with paintings, has three storeys, three axes, is crowned with a tall gable, and partitioned with narrow frieze between the storeys. The rectangular windows are framed by profiled surrounds and topped with recesses with a divided upper section and arches accentuated by three voussoirs; the jambs feature medallions with heads and auricular and cartilaginous ornaments. The gable end section is divided into two storeys; the edges are framed by a wavy S- and volute-shaped; at the top is a jerkin-head gable incorporating the date “1640” and a sculpture of a standing lion. The portal topped with a basket-handle arch is framed by piers with niches (without statues since 1848); at the tope are half-statues of Atlantes supporting the entablature. The entablature is topped by a figure lying on a cornice that personifies Faith; around the arches are Mercy and Love (between them is an oval shield with the crest of Gdańsk); the outermost axes feature the sculptures of Justice and Piety (all are reproductions cast in concrete). The stoop features a stone balustrade (irregular slabs are decorated with the motif of ancient ruins), pillars and wrought-iron handrail. The interior underwent alterations in the 20th century and lost its historic décor.

The monument is open to visitors.

compiled by Krystyna Babnis, Regional Branch of the National Heritage Board of Poland in Gdańsk, 21-10-2014.

Bibliography

• Ciemnołoński J., Ulica Piwna nr 1 [w:] Katalog Zabytków Sztuki, pod red. B. Roll i I. Strzeleckiej, Miasto Gdańsk, cz. 1, Główne Miasto, Warszawa 2006, s. 367-368.
• Friedrich J., Gdańskie zabytki architektury do końca XVIII w., Gdańsk 1997, s. 266-267.