The aim of the Iconic Houses organisation is to popularise knowledge about 20th-century great architectural designs, gathering documentation on them and promoting the idea of opening such buildings to the public. Only the houses that are open as public museums can enter the Iconic Houses list. Among the list of most beautiful houses of the 20th century, there are icons such as Antonio Gaudí’s Casa Batlló in Barcelona, Le Corbusier’s Villa Savoye in Poissy, Frank Lloyd Wright’s Taliesin West in Arizona, as well as the houses of Alvar Aalto in Helsinki, and Victor Horta in Brussels, Theo van Doesburg in Paris, Arne Jacobsen’s in Copenhagen and many others, all considered milestones in the history of modern architecture.
In 2014, the Dutch foundation included The Hansens' House in Szumin. This wooden building, designed as a summer retreat, was used by the architect couple as a home, a studio and an event space for organising open-air workshops and courses for students. It was the first Polish building included in the prestigious list of worldwide outstanding buildings. This seemingly humble abode, located by the picturesque Bug river, is an interesting incarnation of Oskar Hansen’s utopian Open Form concept. The Hansens’ House in Szumin is cared for by the Museum of Modern Art in Warsaw, which maintains the space for visitors as well as art events. At the end of 2015, another Polish building joined the list: Villa Gallery, located on 31/33 Wólczańska Street, Łódź.
Villa Gallery, also known in Poland as Kindermann’s Villa, is one of the most valuable examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Poland, of which not many remain in the country. It is a richly ornamented building, a wonderful example of the Gesamtkunstwerk trend that developed at the turn of the 20th century. It was an all-embracing architectural wave which required all elements of the design, from plasterwork, through to façade reliefs to window frames, staircase railing, flooring and fireplaces, to be correspondingly aesthetic and equally ornamental. Villa Gallery has a beautiful form, with its porch supported by decorative columns, a high pitched roof and embellishments of stylised plant and animal motifs. The interior is just as carefully designed, sporting a beautifully-carved wooden staircase illuminated with stain-glassed windows. The house was designed in 1903 by Gustaw Landau-Gutenteger, one of the most valued Art Nouveau architects in Łódź, and created for successful textile manufacturer Leopold Kindermann. Since 1975, the building has been the location of Miejska Galeria Sztuki (City Art Gallery).
One of the requirements of the Iconic Houses Foundation for the short-listed buildings is that they be preserved in their original form. Renovation is obviously allowed as well as slight modernisations, but the underlying idea is to enable the visitors to see the architect’s original design, the idea which sparked the project, despite the passing of time. Between 2011 and 2013, Villa Gallery underwent a thorough and costly renovation, which brought back the glow and valuable quality of its Art Nouveau style. And now it has joined the ranks of a worldwide architecture icon.
Written by Anna Cymer, 30 Dec 2015, translated by OK, 8 Jan 2016