Plzeňský region will acquire a valuable property associated with architect Loos

Plzeň - The Plzeň Region has reached an agreement with Plzeň and will acquire a significant building featuring the interior design of architect Adolf Loos (1870-1933). The region will try to obtain a grant from Norwegian funds for the reconstruction of the valuable multi-storey apartment on Klatovská Street, which was previously owned by the city. The building, which resembles the famous Müller villa in Prague in its concept, is intended to serve the West Bohemian Gallery after renovations. The gallery plans to establish a research center for architecture and an exhibition commemorating Loos within it. Václav Koubík (ČSSD), the regional councilor, reported on the agreement with the Plzeň city council to ČTK.
    "For us, it's amazing that we are getting this building; Loos is unique. The transfer is currently being arranged, and the necessary documents are being processed by the city's property commission. We are trying to expedite this because we want to capture the announcement of the Norwegian funds, which is expected to take place next spring," said the councilor.
    According to preliminary estimates, the reconstruction of the rare spaces could cost around 50 million crowns. "The grant from Norwegian funds could cover 80 to 90 percent of the costs. The region will handle the application," added the councilor.
    The interior of the building on Klatovská Street is among the largest in Plzeň that Loos contributed to. The apartment has three floors and its overall concept is similar to the Müller villa, featuring a comparable layout. "There is a two-storey hall and another floor with bedrooms, which included rooms for the children and parents, as well as for staff. After the war, the apartment was divided into several parts, and the main hall was completely separated and turned into a non-residential space. Other parts were divided into smaller apartments," explained Petr Domanický, who is responsible for the architecture collection at the West Bohemian Gallery. Some original elements have been preserved in the apartment, such as marble designs, wooden paneling, door handles, and so on. Today, a significant portion of the apartment is vacant and belongs to the city. The city offered the region a free transfer on the condition that the building would be reconstructed and an architecture center established within it.
    The West Bohemian Gallery, which is under the regional authority, aims to take management of the valuable spaces. According to the gallery director Roman Musil, it is already common in the Czech Republic for galleries to take similar types of buildings under their care. "For instance, the Moravian Gallery in Brno manages the Jurkovič villa, and the Karlovy Vary Art Gallery manages the Becher villa," Musil stated. The gallery's goal will be to restore the most valuable areas of the apartment from the 1930s to a state close to the original and to make them accessible to the public. In other spaces, they plan to prepare an area for a permanent exhibition on Loos's work. An important part of it will be dedicated to the architectural research center.