Factory owner Rudolf Keller's abandoned, decaying Neo-Renaissance villa from 1890-1892, damaged by fire in 2010 and viewable only from the outside.
At Gdańska 49/53 stands a Neo-Renaissance villa built between 1890 and 1892 by Prussian newcomer Rudolf Keller next to his ribbon factory. Today the building is abandoned and clearly deteriorating, so it is best viewed from outside only, from the pavement on the opposite side of the street.
How did this residence on Gdańska come about? Rudolf Keller built a factory on this plot as early as 1882, and eight years later erected a villa beside it, where he moved in with his family. The design was executed by Hilary Majewski, one of industrial Łódź's most recognised architects, and the contractor was Łódź builder Otto Gehlig.
What does the building look like in terms of style? It is Northern Neo-Renaissance with clear French influences, enriched with Mannerist and Renaissance details modelled on French and Dutch examples. From the street one can see a characteristic, decorative façade, although the building's technical condition deteriorates year on year.
What happened to the villa after Keller? In 1907 the property together with the neighbouring factory was purchased by Emil Eisert, and from 1922 until the outbreak of the Second World War the owner was the joint-stock company of Emil Eisert and the Schweikert brothers. In the People's Republic era the building housed a factory kindergarten, which was a typical fate for former factory owners' residences at that time.
Why does the palace look like it does today? In April 2010 a fire damaged the roof and the building's characteristic corner turret, which was eventually demolished in September 2020. Since then the building has stood empty and its condition has worsened each year. It is listed in the register of monuments under number A/299, with an entry from 20 December 1983, and in the municipal register of monuments under numbers 167–168.
Is anyone working towards its future? Since 2020 a local community initiative has been active, drawing attention to the state of the villa and calling for its preservation. The building is private and inaccessible, so it remains to be viewed from outside, preferably from the opposite pavement of Gdańska, where the entire decorative façade can be seen.
A few hundred metres further, also on Gdańska, stands another former factory owner's residence, in significantly better condition and retaining a public function. Nearby it is also worth looking into the Museum of Art – ms1 and seeing the palace of Maurycy Poznański and the villa of brothers Karol and Markus Kiperów.
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