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Even before the publication of the feasibility study results, it was said that it was recommended to establish a state architecture center at the Kaunas Central Post Office, which would be almost entirely dedicated to public functions.
Our main tasks are the need to preserve and restore the object of cultural heritage, to overcome the currently disused building, to ensure its uniqueness, so that it does not lose its value, to be relevant even on an international level.
Talking about what can be done with mail dates back to 2014. Today we already have a turning point. We hope that the object will be taken from the Lithuanian Post and start to live a new life, ”said Inga Urbonaitė-Vadoklienė, director of the Ideas for the City public institution, which coordinates the feasibility study of the Kaunas Central Post. Office building, in a presentation Tuesday.
Almost everything is stored
The presentation of the study drew attention to the fact that significant investments are currently being made in the post office building environment. It is surrounded by many public buildings, which are open from 8 am to 5 pm, making it quite difficult for the cafes operating in this area to survive at night, with little vitality. It is the reorganization of the post office that can help the space recover and prosper. This area has the potential to become an attractive center for cultural services.
Lietuvos Paštas owns most of the plot on which the building stands.
Kaunas City Municipality Photo / Kaunas Central Post Office
This entire territory of Naujamiestis (along with part of Žaliakalnis) claims to be included in the UNESCO heritage list.
An architectural analysis of the Kaunas Central Post Office is also presented. The building consists of 3 parts. The largest in Laisvės al. not visible. A quarter of the building is a basement.
What are the heritage protection requirements? After all, a post office building is an immovable cultural asset, given its status as a cultural monument.
According to the urban planner and architect Vytautas Buinevičius, it is not possible to carry out major transformations. We can only talk about maintenance and repairs.
According to the specialist, it is possible to adapt the building to modern needs, that is, to install elevators for the disabled and lifts.
“It just came to our knowledge then. The non-capital walls could possibly be rebuilt or even demolished, of course, with prior investigation. Only part of the building is used. The condition of the structures and façade is satisfactory. There are systems. engineering damage, the interior is worn, the decorative elements are hidden. It would need repairs, “said V. Buinevičius during the presentation.
Speaking of the possibilities of functional adaptation of the building, he said that the building is universal and flexible, so that, for example, offices, libraries could appear in almost the entire building. However, when installing restoration, temporary accommodation areas may be vulnerable to values, as further adaptation steps would be required.
“I would like the versatility of the building to be maintained in the future. It would be best to develop those functions that do not require major engineering changes,” said V. Buinevičius.
Value: almost 2 million. euros
According to the valuation of the property, the market value of the post office building is 1.89 million. euros. The evaluation was carried out on June 21 of this year.
“It has been determined that in two or three years the Kaunas market will need 50 thousand more. Kv. M of administrative buildings for new projects. Cooperation spaces could operate here. This project can be the axis around which everything develops. Kaunas , from a real estate point of view, it is still a rising star ”, – Mindaugas Kulbokas, real estate consultant, evaluated one of the options.
During the preparation of the study, an analysis of the old post office buildings in other countries was carried out, and an overview of museums and foreign architecture centers was made with a modern vision of museum activity.
Many of these buildings are funded by ministries.
An architectural center is projected
With all this in mind, the concept of an architectural center with an expanded museum function was formed.
According to the study authors, this center could present architecture and design, its impact on the environment, present modernism, collect and research material on historical and modern architecture, and host events.
The center is expected to increase awareness of Lithuanian architecture, engage and educate the public.
Therefore, a nationally planned institution, maintained from the state budget, in which the exhibition hall could occupy 200 to 1000 square meters M. meter. There are also educational conference rooms, storage, library, bookstore, cafeteria, designer store, information center, staff workspace.
The income comes from the sale of tickets, events, rentals, temporary and permanent exhibitions.
3 building development scenarios (alternative programs) have been selected, in which the part of the space allocated to the architectural center differs.
The axis of all of them is the center of architecture, next to which there could be premises that are not suitable for your activities. This would generate additional income, for example, renting it to offices or residences, to a restaurant.
According to the first alternative, it is proposed to install a compact architectural center, entrusting more than three-quarters of the building with commercial needs – offices, cooperation spaces and a cafeteria, in addition to providing exhibitions and other public spaces.
The second alternative is to install an architectural center with a museum function. It would allocate 60% to public functions. local: there would be exhibitions, multifunctional spaces, a library and workshops, as well as a hotel, restaurant and conference room.
The third alternative, which the study organizers consider optimal, is 96 percent. The spaces are for public use. There would be an architectural center with an expanded museum function: creative offices, residences for artists, workshops and other spaces.
The only space with a commercial function would be a cafeteria.
It won’t be worth it financially
The investment, depending on which of the three alternatives is chosen, would require from 8.9 to 9.9 million. euros. The annual maintenance costs of the center would amount to 216 thousand. EUR up to 630 thousand. (depending on the number of staff positions).
All three alternatives are not economically viable, but a third alternative is recommended.
More importantly, the symbolic function of the post office must remain and the operating room must be open to the public. The priority is to activate the heritage and not damage the building.
It is expected that this year the object will be included in the list of objects of state importance, it will be taken over by the state and a new budgetary institution will be established.
It is more convenient, depending on the planned activity, to transfer the property to the Ministry of Culture or an institution subordinate to it for its management.
An architectural competition for the renovation of the building could be announced in 2023 or 2024. In 2025, the center could begin operations.
This study, which has already been presented to the Government, does not propose a specific internal business model.
There will be life next year
15 minutes recalls that in February 2021 the Government decided that the Ministry of Culture should prepare feasibility studies for the adaptation of the buildings of the central post office in Kaunas and Klaipėda to the needs of society before autumn.
In April this year, the Minister of Culture Simonas Kairys declared that for the moment it is guaranteed due to the use of the Kaunas Central Post Office building, because in 2022 part of its activities “Kaunas – European Capital of Culture” will be planned there. In other words, this building will have life and relevance next year.
Erik Ovcharenko / 15 Minute Photo / Kaunas Central Post Office
The studios also had to answer the question of who will own such buildings. If they remain on Lithuanian Post’s balance sheet, it will be difficult to make hiring decisions.
Previously, Lietuvos Paštas had decided to sell three buildings in Vilnius, Kaunas and Klaipėda, but some politicians, as well as heritage conservationists, were in favor of preserving them for public needs.
Inaugurated in 1932, the Kaunas Central Post Office, designed by the famous architect Felix Vizbar, is one of the most important representative and modernist buildings in the interwar state. It is significant from an architectural, engineering and historical point of view, making it one of the most striking architectural accents in the temporary capital.
This building, built on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of the death of the Grand Duke of Lithuania Vytautas the Great, is an example of statehood. The building did not appear on an empty lot.
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