Bridge House
Classicist building of the Water Chamber at ul. Kłopotowskiego 1/3 was established in the years 1824-1825. It was designed by Antonio Corazzi. The building served as a toll collection point for crossing the skate bridge connecting Bednarska and Brukowa Streets.
The building makes an amazing impression. Supported by pillars, it consists of a taller central member and symmetrical side wings. On the facade of the building there is a bas-relief made by Tomasz Accardi. It depicts Neptune on a chariot drawn by four fish-tailed horses. In contrast, there are two dolphins in the lower corners.
History
In 1864, when the Kierbedź Bridge was built, the skate bridges and the Water Chamber became unusable. The technical condition of the building began to deteriorate, and therefore in 1869 the eastern wing was rebuilt and raised. The building served as a residential house for the employees of the Prague waterworks.
The building survived World War II without major damage, and in the years 1944-1945 Soviet sappers lived here. After the war, ordinary tenants moved back into the building.
The unrenovated building deteriorated more and more, so it was decided to enter the building into the register of monuments – on July 1, 1965, the “Juventur” Tourist Office, which had its seat there, carried out a general renovation in 1975-1978. The pre-World War I reconstruction was completely pulled down. The appearance of the building has been restored to its original condition.
In the years 2007-2008, a general renovation of the building was performed. The façade was renovated, gas, plumbing, telecommunications and part of the roof were replaced. Only the original old wooden windows remain.
Since 2008, the Registry Office of the Capital City of Warsaw in the Praga-Północ District has returned.
Architecture
As described above, the building consists of three spans, the central avant-corps is divided by massive pillars between which there are pairs of Ionic columns supporting the imposts with arcades.
The portico covers the façade with the door on the central axis flanked by three window axes on each side. Above the cornice, there are panels with reliefs. The façade is decorated with strip rustication. Both single-storey side wings have porticos with five spans and are topped with full attics.
Interestingly, the building has plaques from the nineteenth century, showing the record high levels of the Vistula from 1813, 1839 and 1844.
