POLAND An art nouveau indoor market and retail hall, which was designed by Juliusz Dzierżanowski in 1909, is now to be re-built. Hala Koszyki on ul. Koszykowa in Warsaw is where residents of the capital city could buy nearly anything they could dream of. There were once even stalls offering fish and live birds. Hala Koszyki has a U-shaped plan. Its structure is made of steel, its internal walls are made of brick and its façades are made of clinker and plaster with elements sculpted by Zygmunt Otto. Its courtyard was surrounded by arcades with a roof on steel supports.
A building that has been through a lot
More than a hundred years have passed since that time. During the Second World War Hala Koszyki was partially destroyed. However, it continued functioning as a market place. In 2006 the historic building was sold by Centrum Koszyki to Quinlan Private Golub, which decided to rebuild it. In order to do that the building was dismantled in 2008 with the consent of Warsaw's monument conservation officer, and its structure was moved to Wiązowna outside Warsaw for restoration work. According to Quinlan's plans, Hala Koszyki was supposed to continue serving as a retail facility with the addition of some luxury apartment buildings to be developed around the facility; however, this concept was later revised and turned into that of an office project. In the meantime the company transformed into a new entity - Avestus Real Estate, which then pulled out of the project and sold it on to Griffin Group in 2012.
Chance for a new life
Will the new owner help to restore Hala Koszyki to its former glory and take it back to the times of its retail magnificence? Griffin Group's representative Dorota Wysokińska-Kuzdra insists that the answer is yes. At this year's Mapic retail property fair the company presented a preliminary design drawn up by the JEMS Architekci studio for the renovation of the building, which involves restoring the building to its original shape. Hala Koszyki will have two retail floors, a ground floor and a mezzanine, all of which will be connected by a series of escalators. The back section of the premises is planned to be a support for an internal shopping and catering arcade with an outdoor terrace. To what extent will the new hall resemble the original? This has yet to be made clear. "Arrangements with the conservation officer are in progress, so I cannot say much at this time. Its historic elements will certainly be retained, perhaps also part of the façade will be given its original look," states Jerzy Szczepanik-Dzikowski, a partner of JEMS Architekci. Apart from the revitalisation of Hala Koszyki, the project also involves the construction of three office buildings with a combined area of 10,000 sqm. These will be located on both sides and at the back of the facility. "The area of a floor in one of the office buildings would come to app. 500 sqm, but it could be divided into smaller modules of app. 50-100 sqm," adds Jerzy Szczepanik-Dzikowski.
Griffin Group is also planning to build an underground section. The -1 level will include a delicatessen, retail outlets, technical rooms and a delivery area. A car park will be located on the -2 level. The new investor wants to revive Hala Koszyki and introduce a wider range of services- including cultural facilities. Customers will be able to browse through art galleries, hobby shops and designer show rooms, as well as dine in cafés, tea rooms and restaurants serving cuisine from all over the world. When will Varsovians be able to enjoy the refurbished Hala Koszyki? "It is too early to talk about a detailed schedule," admits Dorota Wysokińska-Kuzdra. The commercialisation of its retail section, which is to have an area of 10,000 sqm, is being carried out by DTZ, while Colliers International is responsible for the leasing of the office space.
Aneta Cichla
