Robert Krug Sr. built his apartment building in an area of new construction near the former warehouses of the Northern Railway on Nové Sady Street (then called Neustift). The building’s layout suggests that the buildings on the adjoining properties are the result of later demolition and redevelopment. In its overall design, it is similar to the other housing he built in Brno in 1910–1912. Although his projects from this time were done in the Art Nouveau style, they are relatively conservative in terms of their traditional composition founded on tried-and-true concepts of architectural order.
The four-storey apartment building has a compact rectangular ground plan with a large polygonal avant-corps built on its rear elevation to house a corridor and stairwell. The main entrance from the street – a simple rectangular opening flanked by pilasters with floral capitals – is situated at the far left of the building. The ground floor is decorated with horizontal fluting; on the floors above, the central part of the symmetrical facade is accentuated by a trio of polygonal oriels and four colossal pilasters whose design references the classical architectural elements of Ionic capitals and atlases. Above them, a smooth triangular gable sits atop a distinctive crown cornice. The shape of the gable resembles that of a tympanum, another classical form. The stringcourse underneath the first-floor windows, which imitates shallow balconies with vases on the balustrades, visually sets apart the traditional bel étage from the ground floor. Besides such classical elements, the facade’s eclectic yet generally understated decoration also includes geometric and vegetal Art Nouveau ornamentation, especially in the panels beneath the windows. Krug’s choice of decoration is of a clearly triumphal character and probably reflected his need for a specific level of social representation.
A three-storey apartment building (no. 22a) with a three-wing layout was later added in the courtyard behind the main building. Built according to plans from 1927, it was the property of Grete, Helene, Robert and Hans Krug. Although the two buildings exhibit certain similarities, the later one does not match the sophisticated composition and rich decoration of the older structure. Both buildings have retained their original character despite recent modifications, including the installation of new doors and windows.
Šárka Bahounková
