Prague wants the Transgas buildings, negotiations with the owner have so far failed

illustration: Jan Šrámek

Prague - The Prague city hall has expressed interest in the Transgas buildings on Vinohradská Street, wishing to place up to 500 city officials there who are currently working in rented premises. However, the owner of the complex, HB Reavis, rejected the city's offer. Prague plans to continue negotiations and is considering involving co-investors. The city hall stated this in a press release today. The owner began preparatory work for the demolition of the building last week, and the demolition is criticized not only by the Prague leadership but also by part of the professional public. This evening, people gathered at the buildings to protest against the demolition.

HB Reavis plans to sell the buildings along with a development project that is being prepared there. Whether the demolition can be completed before the sale will depend on the offers and the speed of negotiations. According to the company's schedule, demolition work will last several months.

According to the first deputy mayor, Petr Hlaváček (for United Forces for Prague), the city's primary concern is the preservation of the architecturally valuable building. At the same time, the complex can accommodate up to 500 officials. According to the chairperson of the Committee for Urban Development of the Prague Council, Petr Zeman (Prague Ours), the internal reconstruction of Transgas into offices could be completed quickly. However, Mayor Zdeněk Hřib (Pirates) stated that it would first be necessary to resolve which employees would be moved there. There should not be empty premises left for which Prague is contractually obliged to pay high rents.

In the first round of negotiations, the city representatives and the owner could not agree on the price. "Prague offered the owner a price for the property that is bearable for the city budget but also corresponds to the value of the property. The owner did not accept this offer, therefore we are looking for other alternatives, such as contacting some private co-investors," Hlaváček stated. He added that he would not comment on the amount of the offer considering the usual rules of business negotiations.

According to the councilor for property, Jan Chabr (TOP 09), a potential deal could be hindered by the fact that HB Reavis is not selling the properties that it actually plans to demolish, but the entire project that is to be built in their place. Given the location, the value of such a project will be much higher than that of the buildings themselves. However, according to the law, the city can only offer the appraised value for the buildings, he told ČTK.

HB Reavis acquired the Transgas complex in 2014 from the ČEZ company. In February 2016, the owner announced plans to demolish the complex and build a multifunctional building on the vacated site according to a design by the architectural studio Jakub Cigler Architects, which could be completed by early 2021.

A larger group of people gathered this evening on Vinohradská Street at Transgas to express their discontent with the demolition. Councilman Zeman reiterated the developments around the negotiations and called on private investors to join the city in efforts to save the complex. Speakers, including Pirate MP Lukáš Černohorský and the chairwoman of the Association for Old Prague, Kateřina Bečková, then spoke about Transgas and the protection of post-war architecture in general.

According to Černohorský, it is crucial how the upcoming new heritage law turns out. The speakers recalled other buildings of post-war architecture that were demolished and others that still have not been granted heritage protection. According to Bečková, Transgas could have been "an iconic representative of the architecture of its time," but due to "moral and professional failures" of the representatives of the bodies that decide on granting heritage protection, the city will lose a significant structure. Experts have long criticized what they see as the sluggish approach of the Ministry of Culture towards the heritage protection of buildings created after World War II. The Club for Old Prague also attempted to seek heritage protection for Transgas, but the ministry rejected the proposal.