The discussion about the future of Gdansk's bus station, built in the 1970s, is gaining momentum. The investor plans demolition and new construction, meanwhile a group of residents and architecture experts are demanding protection of the building as a valuable example of post-war modernism.
The discussion about protecting the 1970s-built, now severely neglected bus station in Gdansk flared up after the investor filed an application to demolish the building. The owner of the site, PB Górski, is planning a new development with a greened plaza at the site. One of the buildings would serve mainly as a travel service, while the other would house services, offices, hotel functions and rental apartments. The project is being prepared by Studio Kwadrat.
In December, the Pomeranian Regional Monument Conservator received an application from the Association for the Protection of Post-War Architecture to include the station in the register of monuments. At the same time, Jędrzej Włodarczyk of the New Left in Gdansk initiated the collection of signatures for the petition "Let's save the PKS station in Gdansk!".
PKS station in Gdansk
Ewa Karendys
Residents and experts in defense of the modernist station
We call for a halt to the demolition and the start of a consultation process and the preparation of a concept for the revitalization of the facade and the preservation of key architectural elements," reads the petition, which has already been signed by more than 700 people.
Does the building stand a chance of being included in the registry? Dariusz Chmielewski, Pomeranian Regional Monuments Conservator, admits in an interview with AiB that he has not yet had time to review the application.
The Monuments Register and Documentation Department is preparing analyses of similar sites in other provinces. We will also have to commission an assessment of the value of the PKS station building in Gdansk. So far I have not seen values that would be worth protecting with an entry in the registry, perhaps because I am a peer of this station. The building has never been included in the register of monuments or recognized as a contemporary cultural asset at the stage of creating the local plan," says Chmielewski.
At the same time he points out that there are examples of modernist buildings in Gdansk that have lived to see protection.
- Zieleniak has been recognized as a contemporary cultural asset. Hala Olivia is listed in both the municipal and provincial register of monuments. These buildings have earned protection because they are iconic and were a breakthrough in terms of construction, technology and architectural form in their time. The fact is that the movement to protect postmodern architecture is growing. In contrast, no one in Gdansk has ever mentioned protecting the PKS building," he adds.
After the idea of demolition caused controversy, the developer withdrew his application. But only for a short time - on December 12 he submitted a new application for demolition and for permission to build two service buildings along with a bus station, where travelers would be served underground.
Designer explains: new station and revitalization of the square
The developer withdrew the earlier demolition application and submitted a new one, wanting to show residents that his goal is not to decommission the facility, but to build two service buildings along with a modern bus station, says Jacek Droszcz, owner of Studio Kwadrat, in an interview with AiB. - Both passengers and residents will be served by the square, which we designed as a meeting place.
The architect adds that "the proposed architecture may or may not be liked, but the project offers a chance to revitalize the entire area." He also mentions that he had the opportunity to work with Bernard Coft, the designer of the station, in the 1980s.
His design of the station in the 1970s was truly unique. It's a pity that the discussion about the possible inclusion of the building under preservation protection didn't come up earlier, at the stage of creating the local plan, Droszcz adds. - If the decision to include the building in the register of monuments had been made now, the building would have had to remain in its current form, without additions - as it has good proportions and a compact, finished form.
Among those in favor of preserving the station is Prof. Jacek Friedrich, an art historian from the University of Gdansk.
This is really elegant architecture, reflecting the spirit of the times very well. Unfortunately, there are fewer and fewer monuments of this type: in Gdansk the slaughter of post-war modernism has been going on for more than a quarter of a century," says Prof. Friedrich.
According to Prof. Friedrich, this is a good time to "finally recognize this part of the city's historical heritage and not lose another valuable building through short-sighted decisions."
It's no wonder that people are not aware that modernist buildings are valuable; even the best modernist buildings are not renovated, not cared for, or covered up with hideous advertisements. It would be enough to clean the building of the later tinctures to see that this simple, unpretentious architecture is already part of our cultural heritage, which is finally worth protecting systematically," Prof. Friedrich stresses.
