The house with interiors by Loose will be gradually renovated by the gallery in Plzeň

Plzeň - The West Bohemian Gallery in Plzeň was unsuccessful in its request for funding from the so-called Norwegian funds, which it wanted to use for the restoration of a valuable interior designed according to the concept of Adolf Loos at Klatovská Street 110. Modifications to the building, where it also plans to establish a research center for architecture in the Plzeň Region, including an exhibition and spaces for cultural events, will therefore have to be carried out gradually, in smaller amounts. It is expected to be completed by 2020. The director of the gallery, Roman Musil, told ČTK.
    "The goal is to partially open the building to the public by the end of next year, sometime in the autumn," he stated. People should at least get a look at the main hall of the so-called Semler Residence, or the apartment that the Plzeň entrepreneur and co-owner of the Oskar Semler factory had built according to Loos's concept. The architect was Loos's student Heinrich Kulka. The interior dates from 1932 to 1934.
    The gallery requested 27 million CZK from the Norwegian funds, intending to cover most of the work with the support. "If it had worked out for us, it would have been a very significant step forward. This way, we will have to solve it based on smaller amounts from our founder, the Plzeň Region," the director stated.
    The first phase of the reconstruction began last year when the gallery received 4.7 million CZK from the Plzeň Region. This year, it has four million at its disposal, and the region has promised three million for 2015. According to Musil, the region has committed to the reconstruction of Klatovská 110 in a memorandum that outlines priority tasks; the complete renovation should be finished by 2020.
    The project plans to restore a significant part of the former apartment to its original state according to the concept of the famous architect. The main hall will also be complemented by replicas of the furniture, aiming for a complete restoration of the space to its original form. Other rooms in the apartment will also be designed to evoke their original appearance in a similar manner. However, not all rooms will be meticulously restored. They will retain whatever has survived and will provide a background for researchers, including a small exhibition and an archive for the research center. In the second part of the house, outside the famous interior, further facilities for the research center and the public should be established, such as a café, a bookstore, an entrance hall, and a significant portion will also be dedicated to spaces for working with children.