Kamienica Gottlieba Beera, Renaissance Revival tenement house in Katedralna district, Łódź, Poland
Kamienica Gottlieba Beera is a two-storey brick tenement house at Piotrkowska 243, the oldest multi-storey brick house in Łódź. Its ground floor held three rooms, the upper floor four and the attic two. In 1850 two side wings and a rear section with an assembly hall were added, and the facade was restored with Neo-Renaissance elements; a three-axis projection was added on the south side in 1889.
Weaver Gottlieb Beer commissioned the house in 1835, intending a single-storey building like others on Piotrkowska Street. He added an upper floor without permission, creating Łódź's first multi-storey brick house, with three rooms on the ground floor, four upstairs and two in the attic. In 1850 a government Evangelical-Catholic elementary school opened here, and the building gained two wings and a rear hall.
For much of its existence, this house was a gathering place for the German-speaking community and hosted musical performances. Its role in local cultural life reflects the diverse population that once lived in this area.
The building underwent major restoration work from 2013 to 2017 and is now accessible to visitors. The renovation was part of a large-scale program to restore historical tenement houses throughout the city.
A fire damaged the front section in 2007, causing the building to stand abandoned until its restoration many years later. Today it houses a perfume shop, showing how historic structures can be given new commercial purposes.
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