Will the historic building at Voloshin street, 1 become two floors higher? (PHOTOS)

The beautiful corner building at the beginning of Voloshin street in the historic center of Uzhgorod has been standing there since the eighteenth century. It is can be seen in many old postcard: flowers on the corner balcony, a cafe below.

   Today, this building is one of the oldest in the entire Voloshin street and is a monument of architectural heritage. There have been interferences in its architecture in previous years, for example last year they replaced old windows with modern plastic ones.

However, in general, the building looks almost exactly like it did one hundred years ago. And, rumors are spreading in the city that soon the owners will add two more floors on the building: one full and one attic. It is said that young Lviv architects are developing the project that soon will be submitted for approval to the City Department of Architecture. Not to spread rumors further, we decided to investigate.

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Indeed, some construction works are being performed on the second floor of the building at Voloshin street, 1. Doors are open, lights are on, but in two days, we did not manage to catch any worker there.

From outside, we can see on the corner balcony a banner advertising the sale or lease of 190 square meters of space. In fact, hanging advertising on the old balconies in the historic part of the city is prohibited, but I call about another issue.

The man, who picked up the phone, said that he would not give any comments because he does not own the premises. But, as far as he knows, no additional storeys are planned at Voloshin, 1, they will only update the attic room under the roof, make several skylights and finish with a nice restoration of the facade. He refused to say when they plan to finish the job.

To make sure it is true, we appeal to the city Department of Architecture and Urban Planning.     

The acting head of the department Mykhailo Ivehesh said that the urban planning board had considered the issue of the building at Voloshin street 1 last year.Then specialists had a lot of remarks about the project documentation that the owner of the building had to take into account while developing a new project. Since then, the issue of reconstruction of the building has not been reconsidered. So, he says, they will consider it when there are reasons for it.  

Meanwhile, defenders of the historical heritage of Uzhgorod are seriously concerned about the possible reconstruction of the old building. The chairman of the NGO "PRO URBE", architect Petro Szarvas says that he heard that they want to make the house two floors higher and he does not like this idea, because the building is listed as a monument of architectural heritage, therefore its owners should respect its age and appearance. 

Source – Pro Zahid