Jablonec is negotiating the purchase of the functionalist Kantor's villa

Jablonec nad Nisou - Jablonec nad Nisou is negotiating the purchase of the first republic Kantor Villa. The functionalist house built in 1934 according to the design of Loss's student and collaborator Heinrich Kulka has been for sale for nearly nine million crowns for a long time. There is currently no interested buyer, so the city is negotiating a price reduction. Unofficially, it is being talked about seven to eight million crowns. The villa will require a major renovation, Jablonec's Deputy Mayor Miloš Vele (ODS), who is tasked with the negotiations, told CTK today. The city council is expected to discuss the purchase of the villa in June.

The house at the busy intersection of Palackého and U Přehrady streets is one of the most valuable modern villas in the region. According to Mayor Petr Beitl (ODS), the house has great potential and in the future could attract those interested in modern architecture, similarly to the famous Tugendhat Villa in Brno. "There is a great interest in acquiring it for the city, and projects for its use are beginning to take shape. We are negotiating with the owner through a real estate agency, aiming for an agreement," added Vele. According to him, the house is in good condition, but renovation is necessary. The city aims to restore the villa to its original appearance.

Today, the culturally protected villa was built by Jablonec doctor Alfréd Kantor. It resembles the famous Müller Villa in Prague. The house has four stories; the distinctly cubic volumes are broken up by an irregular grid of windows. The most prominent feature of the white facade is the entrance with travertine cladding and glass doors with a grille. A private practice, a caretaker's room, a garage, and house facilities were placed in the partially underground basement.

On the ground floor of the villa, there was a living hall, dining room, veranda, and kitchen, connected to the garden via a terrace. The ground floor has several levels of flooring and until recently was one of the most preserved parts of the interior. The upper floor, which contained the private spaces of the family, has been considerably altered over time, and only a fraction of the original furnishings remains. The attic is also not original. In the second half of the 20th century, the villa was converted and divided into apartments, and a double garage was added in the 90s. "All the apartments are occupied today," Vele added.