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Tram stop may receive heritage protection

Experts consider overlooked structure an 'architectural pearl'

By Curtis M. Wong
Staff Writer, The Prague Post
August 20th, 2008 issue

CURTIS WONG/The Prague Post
The Brno tram stop, built in the 1920s, has fallen victim to neglect.
Brno, South Moravia
Local historians will tell you that the preservation of Czech architecture is improving all the time. Each year, new sites — from Baroque churches to Art Nouveau hotel lobbies — are honored as one of the country’s many protected heritage monuments.
However, this summer, the Culture Ministry received one of their most unusual requests from historians at the National Heritage Institute in Brno who are seeking the status of protected heritage for a covered public transport stop and its underground restrooms. Historians filed the application in July and say they are hoping the ministry will make a decision within the next three to four months.
Experts say the small building covering the tram and bus stop, currently owned by the Brno Transport Company and located on Obilný trh street, is an “architectural pearl,” and one of the city’s finest examples of functionalist designs by famed local architect Oskar Pořízka.
“This simple structure, with its clear functionalist lines, is the last standing example of a small utility building designed in connection with Brno’s road infrastructure,” said Culture Ministry spokesman Jan Cieslar. “It was set in this area with a deep sense of city urbanism. At the same time, it is the only building of this type in Brno.”
Pořízka designed the stop at Obilný trh as one of three similar buildings located at other tram and bus stops throughout town. However this is the last one remaining, as the other two — on náměstí Svobody and Moravské náměstí — have long since been removed. The structure is not the oldest of its kind in the country, as the prototype, built in Plzeň, west Bohemia, in 1915, is still standing. But, with its flat roof, large windows and clean, metallic lines, the Obilný trh building is unique because it contains classic elements of functionalist architecture, many of which are also present in several other buildings throughout the city, experts say.
“From an architectural point of view, the building was designed in the fundamentalist style that flourished between World War I and World War II,” said National Heritage Institute architect and heritage protector Eva Búřilová. And although the application is still pending, she added, officials say the stop will receive protection as a cultural monument until the decision is finalized. “During that time, many buildings of this type were constructed in Brno. It was a time of architectural experimentation.”  
Diamond in the rough
Despite its significance, most pedestrians and tram riders would be unlikely to give the building much thought these days. Erected between 1926 and 1928, the structure is currently in a state of disrepair, having received only minimal upkeep from the Brno Transport Company over the years.
At present, it’s clear the many years of neglect have taken their toll, as have local vandals. The side glass walls are broken and covered in graffiti, and the original floor — comprising opaque glass tiles that allowed natural light into the restrooms below — is damaged and temporarily covered by planks of plywood for safety reasons. An empty socket marks a central area once containing a pay phone, and the underground restrooms, closed since the 1980s, have been completely stripped of their fixtures. Bars cluttered with litter protect the entrances.
“Everything must be renovated, even though it’s only a small building,” Búřilová said.
The building’s ramshackle condition certainly hasn’t gone unnoticed by ministry officials, either.
“The space is dilapidated and in general unpreserved,” Cieslar said. “The construction [has] degraded, which might have a negative impact on the status of the building.”
Fixer-upper
If the protected heritage application is approved, ministry officials say they would provide funding for the building’s complete renovation, which would include patching the roof, replacing the glass panels on either side and completely restoring the tile floor. Currently, the fate of the underground restrooms is uncertain, although officials say they have several ideas in the works, including using the space to open a flower shop or similar business.    
Often considered a response to the decadent grandeur of late 19th-century styles, functionalist designs became popular in the early 20th century and are often considered the roots of modern-day architecture. Pioneered by American architect Frank Lloyd Wright and his German counterpart, Mies van der Rohe, functionalist architecture upholds the idea that “form follows function,” so that a building’s size, spatial grammar and design are driven solely by its purpose. In an effort to break off from their Baroque and Art Nouveau predecessors, as well as save money, functionalist architects insisted there be little emphasis on ornamentation or decorative aesthetics in their designs.
According to Búřilová, functionalist architecture enjoyed a renaissance of sorts in Brno, flourishing there more so than in the country’s other cities.
“After years of ornamentation and embellishment, this was a minimalist shift in architecture,” Búřilová said, adding that she hopes the Obilný trh building will join the ranks of several prominent functionalist buildings that are currently protected and receiving renovation in Brno, including a local hotel and several apartment blocks.  
— Naďa Černá contributed to this report.

Curtis M. Wong can be reached at cwong@praguepost.com


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