The repair of the Grossmann villa in Ostrava revealed wood rot and historical paintings

Ostrava – The reconstruction of the heritage-protected Grossmann Villa in Ostrava has revealed wood rot and historical paintings. The renovation of the villa from the First Republic, which is one of the rarest in the city, is currently progressing according to schedule and could be completed by the end of next year. Deputy Mayor Zuzana Bajgarová told reporters during a tour of the construction site today.

"The construction is proceeding very well according to the timeline. Demolition work has been carried out, and individual surfaces have been uncovered. The problem being addressed at the moment is wood rot, which is fundamental and shows that we really decided on the reconstruction relatively last minute, which is good because the object could have been permanently destroyed," said Bajgarová. According to her, some elements are gradually being restored. "At this moment, we still have a closed contract for about 89 million crowns; now we are discussing what impact wood rot will have on the price. I do not yet have cost calculations, but I expect that the impact in millions of crowns will indeed be there. However, we consider it essential to resolve the situation because otherwise, we might not be able to reconstruct the object," Bajgarová noted.

The Grossmann Villa is considered an architectural gem of the regional city, which still plans to make it accessible to the public in the future. "We want the object to be open to the public for tours; a reception and a tour route should be created here in the future. There will be spaces used for social or cultural activities, which could be rented out or will serve the city companies. At the same time, there will be several rooms in a historical style, and it will be possible to stay here. We want the object, if possible, to operate year-round and be filled with people," said the deputy mayor.

The goal of the reconstruction is to restore the villa's original architectural value and to preserve original elements as much as possible, with the work being carried out under the supervision of heritage protectors. According to construction manager Petr Vaněk, several interesting discoveries have been made during the reconstruction. "For example, a bricked-up window or historical paintings that will be restored have appeared here," Vaněk noted. The century-old villa, built in the art deco style, was constructed very precisely, according to him. "They certainly put a lot of effort into it. It is evident in some details that have been developed to a great extent, such as various moldings, exterior elements, window shutters, stained glass, and other things," added Vaněk.

Some structures of the house are significantly damaged, according to Vaněk, such as the roof framework. "On the other hand, for instance, elements of the wooden furniture have been preserved to a great extent," he believes. Restoring these wooden elements will be among the most demanding tasks. Currently, about 30 to 40 craftsmen are working on the site, not only on the repair of the villa itself but also on its surroundings.

The city originally tried to offer the villa to private investors, but this plan did not work out, and it ultimately decided to repair the object itself. Renovation began last November. The villa is located on Na Zapadlém Street, not far from the regional office. It was designed by František Grossmann as both a family and business residence for his construction company. It was completed in 1923. The owner and his family lived in the villa for only ten years. Due to the economic crisis and financial problems, he committed suicide in 1933. In the 1960s, the building also served as a school facility, housing a kindergarten and later also an after-school club.