Apartment house of the Čistín couple

In 1937, the then Školní Street was completely pulled down. It was not the street, however, that now connects Štefánikova and Tomáš Bata Avenue, but an old road leading from náměstí Míru to the church. Today's Školní Street gradually developed over the following years.

In the immediate vicinity of the newly-opened park, a new street with modern buildings was created in a short period of time. Entrepreneurs from Zlín and the wealthier townspeople built their houses here, investing in apartment buildings which would bring stable rental income during the economic crisis. One of the best examples of quality functionalist architecture created in the city independently of the Baťa company is the house for Arnošt and Antonie Čistín, the owners of a canned fruit factory. Školní Street, as well as the original historical centre of the city, Rašínova Street, has become a modern city centre thanks to these houses with their neon signs.

The house was designed in 1938 by Zdeněk Plesník, a recent graduate of the Academy of Arts, Architecture and Design in Prague under Pavel Janák, just before he started at the Academy of Fine Arts with Professor Josef Gočár. Another Plesník family house in Pod Vodojemem Street dates from the same period. Plesník's studies were interrupted by World War II, however, so this house is the first example of the architect's early practice proving his orientation in contemporary architectural tendencies. After the war, Zdeněk Plesník became one of the most important architects involved in the construction of public and private buildings in Zlín. He worked at the local Centroprojekt for almost thirty years.

The building for the Čištín couple was designed and realised by the builder Ferdinand Sedláček, whose signature is on the planning documentation. The application for a building permit is dated July 11, 1938; the following year the building was approved on August 3. The three-storey house with a flat roof has an almost square floor plan (12 × 11.4 m) and is part of a terraced development in a busy and visually exposed place. On the ground floor there were two business units with an adjoining warehouse, each with a separate entrance from the street. The living area is entered through a door on the southern edge of the layout and the floors are connected by a U-shaped staircase. On the first, second, and third floors there are spacious three-room apartments. The living rooms are orientated to the west to provide a pleasant view of the park. The kitchen, bathroom, pantry, and smaller maid's room face east into the courtyard. The building has a basement, where a drying room and a laundry room were located.

The commercial parterre is separated from the residential floors by a protruding ledge, which creates a smaller roof over the entrance. The façade on the ground floor is defined by three deep-glazed shop windows set in metal frames. The receding transom then provided the space where neon signs and advertisements were placed. The façade of the residential section is structured by the architect into three fields. The left part is formed by a square opening with a pair of double-wing windows with ventilation transoms. The wire glass infills under the windows connect to the railing of the central loggia, with a window spanning almost its entire width. The bedroom three-part windows in the right part of the house run flush with ​​the facade, reacting to the neighbouring building according to the plan of the architect. In 1992, the shop windows were replaced, which degraded the original architectural layout. In 2014, the perimeter cladding and balconies were completely renovated, and the house thus returned to its original appearance. The two business units were connected in the 1970s and a bakery currently operates in these premises.

 

 

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