Representatives of Brno-Židenice want to protect the mourning hall from demolition

Brno - Representatives of the Brno district of Židenice want to save the local funeral hall. City councillors decided to demolish the functionalist building by architect Ivan Ruller, who is also the author of the Brno hall Rondo. The funeral hall from the 1980s is dilapidated, water seeps in, and it is in need of renovation, for which there apparently is no funding. However, advocates for the hall want to push for its preservation instead of demolition for 4.5 million crowns, suggesting that it would definitely cost less, and the building could be saved, said Petr Kunc (TOP 09), a member of the housing commission of the Židenice council, to reporters today. The councillors of the district will discuss the hall today, added deputy mayor Karel Bernášek (ČSSD).
    The decision to demolish the funeral hall was made by city councillors at the end of September. According to city council spokesman Pavel Žára, however, the primary reason was not financial. "It was due to low usage. Before the funeral hall was closed, roughly 120 to 140 ceremonies were held there per year, which is not much," he said.
    According to him, the councillors had a study prepared that estimated the costs of renovation at 32 million crowns. Building a new funeral hall would allegedly cost 29 million crowns, while demolition would be 4.5 million crowns. The timetable for demolition has not yet been set, and the councillors have only decided that the city would take this path for now.
    City councillor Libor Vyskočil (TOP 09) stated that the funeral hall served its purpose until 2007. Today, however, the building is devastated. According to Kunc, various thieves have stolen the cladding, causing water to seep into the roof, and chunks of bricks are already falling off. Thieves have also stolen cables containing copper. The building is reportedly being used by homeless people. Kunc believes, however, that the potential repair may not be as expensive as stated in the study. "It is enough to repair the electrical installations, the toilets, and possibly insulate and replace part of the glazing," Kunc stated. He added that the most complicated part of the equipment, namely the cooling boxes, is not necessary, as funeral service vehicles already have cooling equipment. "It is merely a hall where the atmosphere is created, and that atmosphere exists there," he added.
    According to Kunc, the city council's resolution regarding demolition could be revoked or amended by city representatives. TOP 09 is likely to raise this issue at the city council meeting. According to the head of Brno's TOP 09, Jaroslav Kacer, this will not happen at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Tuesday.