Nowickis' House
Main data:
Year of construction: 1660
Year of reconstruction: 1948
Designer: ???
Location: ul. Krakowskie Przedmiescie ('Cracow Suburb' Street) 89
The House of Ignacy Nowicki, also known as John's House, is situated at 89, Krakowskie Przedmiescie ('Cracow Suburb') street. It is the building standing on the corner of Krakowskie Przedmiescie street, Plac Zamkowy (Castle Square) and Senatorska street. Most Warsaw inhabitants associate it with the escalator, that joins the bus and tram stops on W-Z Road (Trasa W-Z) with Castle Square.
Not many people know that this baroque house was built already about year 1660. But later it was rebuilt many times. The first conversion took place about year 1750, when it became the property of Ignacy Nowicki, who was the king's secretary. The building was named after him. Later, it was rebuilt again in 1864, in eclectic style. In 1911 the building was taken over by Aleksander John. The second name of the building, that is sometimes used, comes from his name. The house gained a rococo form at that time.
The building was destroyed during Second World War. First, it was burned it 1939 and then eventually knocked down in 1944. It was reconstructed in 1948, when W-Z Road was built. A well-known 18th-century painter Canaletto, who was famous mainly for his paintings of Warsaw, included Nowicki's House on one of them. And that painting was used as a pattern for reconstruction. During the reconstruction, the upper exit from the escalator was located in the house.
Today Nowicki's House is the property of Polish Men of Letters Association. The escalator that is situated in the house's underground, was renovated recently and re-opened in 2005 after 8 years of break. Apart from escalator, also an special kind elevator is located here. It is untypical, because it does not ride up and down, only on a sloping track. Thanks to it, it is easy for handicapped or people with little children in prams to get from bus and tram stops on W-Z road to Castle Square. A small exhibition was organised next to the upper exit from the escalator. It presents, among other things, pictures showing W-Z road's construction and 'rules of using the escalator' dating back to 1940s :)
(C) 2001-2010 Maciej Blazejewski