#Multifunctional building #Kolín #Czechia #1930
Pražská 417
280 02
Kolín,
Czechia
Public transport: Pražská
Access: Public building, free entry during working hours
Today's use: Shop
Description
Jaroslav Fragner gave this building a form that belongs to the basic canon of classical modernism. True to the motto: Form follows function. A number of historical photos illustrate the special aesthetics of the building.
A fully glazed showroom supported by pillars was designed for the car dealership on the first floor. This means there is no need for load-bearing walls on the exterior and the entire area can be used as a shop window so that the cars are clearly visible. The mezzanine floor housed offices on around half of the site area. A staircase inside the building connects all floors. This also provided access to the top floor, where the owner's apartment was located.
One of the building's eye-catchers is the external staircase that connects the sales area with the offices on the mezzanine. It is equipped with a large intermediate landing for standing on it. Above this staircase is a balcony in the same basic form for the living area.
And finally, as if straight out of a modernist picture book, the house is designed with a roof terrace.
Originally, there was a courtyard with a garage at the rear of the house to the south. Further houses were built on the entire site. As a result, the open staircase lost its effect.
Description
Jaroslav Fragner gave this building a form that belongs to the basic canon of classical modernism. True to the motto: Form follows function. A number of historical photos illustrate the special aesthetics of the building.
A fully glazed showroom supported by pillars was designed for the car dealership on the first floor. This means there is no need for load-bearing walls on the exterior and the entire area can be used as a shop window so that the cars are clearly visible. The mezzanine floor housed offices on around half of the site area. A staircase inside the building connects all floors. This also provided access to the top floor, where the owner's apartment was located.
One of the building's eye-catchers is the external staircase that connects the sales area with the offices on the mezzanine. It is equipped with a large intermediate landing for standing on it. Above this staircase is a balcony in the same basic form for the living area.
And finally, as if straight out of a modernist picture book, the house is designed with a roof terrace.
Originally, there was a courtyard with a garage at the rear of the house to the south. Further houses were built on the entire site. As a result, the open staircase lost its effect.
History
There are often two types of information, both of which we would like to mention. One version reports that the construction phase lasted from 1930 to 1932. The other sources say that the building was designed and erected in 1932 according to plans of Jaroslav Fragner.
We don't actually know anything about the client and car dealer Skoch. The TATRA car brand, once the first in Austria-Hungary and a very prestigious after World War II, produced many models in the interwar period. They ranged from smaller, cheaper two-stroke cars to a kind of middle-class car of the T30/52 type and expensive versions with powerful engines of the T17/31 type. The T70 brand, the most luxurious variant with a length of over five meters, became the state car of Czechoslovak President Masaryk in 1935.
All these cars were probably exhibited in this hall. It is located on one of the city's main roads leading to Prague. Czechoslovakia was a highly industrialized country with a growing middle class and also more wealthy people, as the country was very successful economically, even despite the global economic crisis.
Nowadays, the store sells household goods.
Although this building has lost much of its elegance through extensions, it is surprising that it is not a listed building. The construction is simple, yet very successful and adapted to its purpose. In 1932, the building was also praised in international architecture magazines.
History
There are often two types of information, both of which we would like to mention. One version reports that the construction phase lasted from 1930 to 1932. The other sources say that the building was designed and erected in 1932 according to plans of Jaroslav Fragner.
We don't actually know anything about the client and car dealer Skoch. The TATRA car brand, once the first in Austria-Hungary and a very prestigious after World War II, produced many models in the interwar period. They ranged from smaller, cheaper two-stroke cars to a kind of middle-class car of the T30/52 type and expensive versions with powerful engines of the T17/31 type. The T70 brand, the most luxurious variant with a length of over five meters, became the state car of Czechoslovak President Masaryk in 1935.
All these cars were probably exhibited in this hall. It is located on one of the city's main roads leading to Prague. Czechoslovakia was a highly industrialized country with a growing middle class and also more wealthy people, as the country was very successful economically, even despite the global economic crisis.
Nowadays, the store sells household goods.
Although this building has lost much of its elegance through extensions, it is surprising that it is not a listed building. The construction is simple, yet very successful and adapted to its purpose. In 1932, the building was also praised in international architecture magazines.
Sources
Sources
