The region will repair the building of the former gate to the factory premises in Zlín

Zlín - The Zlín Region will repair building number one in the former Baťa factory complex in the center of the regional capital. Some workplaces of the regional office, currently located in rented spaces, will move to the first floor of the renovated building. The ground floor will be rented to commercial entities, said Governor Jiří Čunek to journalists today.

The building previously served as the main entrance for the Svit company. The reconstruction costs are estimated at 28 million crowns, and the work is expected to start next spring, with completion anticipated by mid-2019.

"The implementation of this project will allow the relocation of offices from the rented premises of building number 22 to building number 1 and partly also to the current headquarters in building number 21. By moving offices from rented to owned spaces, the region will save 2.5 million crowns annually, as we expect that the annual operating costs of the newly built office spaces in building number 1 will be covered by the income from renting commercial spaces on the ground floor," stated the governor.

The former main entrance building is currently not fully utilized. "Specifically, the eastern part of the entrance floor, the former pet shop, and the first floor, which housed a shoe museum until 2013, are not in use," said the region's spokesperson Renata Janečková.

The building was constructed in the late 1970s, and since then, apart from the roof, nothing has been repaired. The building does not meet current standards and has structural problems.

This is the last property owned by the region in the former factory complex that the region plans to renovate. In the past, in addition to the regional headquarters, known as the Baťa skyscraper, buildings 14 and 15 have also been restored, which now house the regional gallery, the regional library, and the Southeast Moravian Museum in Zlín.