The residential block located in the Śródmieście district, on a slope, at Smolna Street 8, commonly referred to as 'The Hammer,' was designed in 1964 by Jan Bogusławski and Bohdan Gniewiewski. The construction of the twenty-story building was completed in 1976. As one of the first skyscrapers in Warsaw, it became a distinctive landmark in the city center.
The building houses approximately 140 apartments ranging from 40 to 60 m². On the last two floors, there is a dining establishment with a terrace, once popular among Warsaw residents and tourists. Initially, it was a restaurant called 'Akropol,' and later, the now-closed club 'Top Floor.'
Although the building has several colloquial names, such as 'Block with a Dropping Jaw,' 'Gmoch,' or 'Dollar Building,' the residents prefer to simply call it 'Our Home.'
The exhibition 'OUR HOME' presents Smolna 8 not only as a gem of brutalist architecture but also as a place where people with colorful biographies have lived for over fifty years. It is the culmination of conversations and meetings with the residents of the building, conducted as part of a six-month Field Workshop of Social Arts (Institute of Polish Culture UW).
The opening of the exhibition will take place on September 21 at the House in the Avenues (Al. Jerozolimskie 2)
Free admission
During the opening, there will be an opportunity to go up to the 18th floor of the building. Pre-registration is required.
Team: Michał Dębski, Katarzyna Lewandowska, Mikołaj Makutunowicz, julia mazur
Supervision: Zofia Dworakowska in collaboration with Natalia Gretzyngier.
Organization: social arts (Institute of Polish Culture UW), House in the Avenues – a new branch of the Śródmieście Cultural Center
The event is co-financed by m.st. Warsaw.
Patronage: Social Archives Center, National Institute of Architecture and Urban Planning.
We invite you!