Henryk Grohman's villa was built at the end of the 19th century to house the administration of the adjacent textile factory. Grohman adapted it as his private dwelling at the beginning of the 20th century. The building was enlarged and some of the rooms were remodelled in art deco style. After WWII the villa was used as a kindergarten. For the last two decades the estate was maintained by the Book Art Museum (BAM): the basement was converted to a typographic studio, the steam heating system was replaced with gas, and the roof has been repaired. Now the villa needs a major restoration of its façades and interior. This renovation, which should reflect not only the spirit of art deco, but also the personality of Hernyk Grohman, will allow the villa to better serve the needs of BAM.

During 20 years of BAM’s activities the interior of the villa was transformed and adapted many times to the needs of the museum. As a result, a cohesive vision emerged of how each room should be used. According to the restoration plan, the loft will house a library of “books about books,” the ground floor should be renovated as the principal exhibition space, and the basement should accommodate printing studios, paper making and bookbinding. Turning this vision into reality depends on the cooperation with the state and local administration, and on grants from European funds for protecting cultural heritage.