On the 5th July two historical dragon-shaped cantilevers, supporting the roof over the front door, were placed over the entry to the tenement house at 26 Przemysłowa Street in Warsaw. The building is currently a seat of MetLife Amplico company, which has just completed its renovation.
The revitalisation included removing the old paint accumulated on the cantilevers, sand-blasting, cleaning and reconstructing the elements, which were missing. The cantilevers were secured with zinc and painted with graphite topcoat.
Refurbishment of the so-called dragons was possible mainly due to our determination in their recovery after the robbery, which took place in 1997. Therefore, we treat the final installment of cantilevers as crowning of our efforts in granting glamour to our seat. We are glad that we managed to add another historical element, preserving its 19th century architectural character – says Łukasz Kalinowski, the President of MetLife Amplico.
The history of the building at 26 Przemysłowa Street goes back to the 19th century. At that time the metal-processing industry was developing on the factory area of Powiśle, and on the land mentioned there was a steel sheets factory, taken over in 1910 by the count Stanisław Ledóchowski. He changed the building from a fabric into a hotel. During the Second World War the development in this area was not damaged to a great extent, due to which the hotel could still operate. In the 1950s the title to the building was taken by the Treasury, which led to changing it into a factory again. After the year 1991 the count’s heirs became the owners of the tenement house again, and on the 5th March 1997 the building was bought by MetLife Amplico.
We do realize that owning a historical building is a privilege which entails a number of obligations. That is why we are concerned with scenery and historical heritage of Powiśle and we believe that such activities are beneficial for the image of this part of Warsaw – adds Łukasz Kalinowski.
When it was bought, the building needed extensive renovations. The new owner adapted the tenement house for offices, preserving, however, its historical character. Among others ceilings structures and interior installations were changed. The oldest staircase remained unaltered, whereas the original sheet from count Ledóchowski’s factory was installed anew on windows and balustrades. MetLife Amplico began its activities in the building in 1998, when the construction of the second modern office building, stylistically referring to the historical building, has commenced.