Residential Building of Sterja Marush
Buildings/The Marushi residential building was designed in 1936 as a single-family house for Sterja Marush and is presumed to be the work of the renowned architect Jan Dubovy. The house is a valuable example of modern architecture with elements of constructivism, expressed through the bold oriel composition of the balcony on the upper floor, and is an exceptional example of modernism in Bitola.
The main entrance to the building is from Elpida Karamandi Street—one directly from the street and another leading through the main gate into the staircase core. The building is developed with a basement, ground floor, and upper floor. The façade features refined geometric decoration, with window openings developed as a continuous horizontal strip with moderate proportions. The cubic façade is broken up by the staircase core and the rounded oriel balcony on the first floor.
Architect Jan Dubovy
Year of design 1936
Investor / Owner Marush - old owner
City / Municipality Bitola
/ Bitola
Address Elpida Karamandi St. No. 8
Floors B+GF+1+A
Original typology
Current purpose
Protection status not protected
- Building chronology (project, construction phases)The building was designed in 1936. The building was renovated and extended after 2014.Number of floorsB+GF+1+AProgram description (floor plan details)There are residential spaces on both the ground floor and the upper floor. Entry to the house is through a recessed central staircase area leading to the living quarters. There is also a second entrance directly from the street, but it cannot be confirmed whether this was part of the original layout.StructureThe building is constructed with a massive structural system. According to the archival technical drawing, the foundations and basement walls are made of rammed concrete, as is the staircase core with the flat terrace. The walls of the ground floor and first floor are made of brick in lime mortar, while the intermediate floor structures are made of timber over concrete beams.RoofFlat roofs throughout the entire building.FaçadeThe façade was plastered with cement-lime plaster. The entrance stairs were made of artificial marble.CarpentryThe exterior carpentry is wooden, with wooden protective shutters on the raised ground floor.Building surroundingsA metal door with horizontal motifs provides access to the inner courtyard.ContextIt is located in an urban fragment near the main promenade - Shirok Sokak, but still on a small street, tucked away within the organic structure of the neighborhood.
- RoofMulti-pitched concealed roof covered with roofing tiles.FaçadeAfter a renovation, the façade is plastered with a demit façade in two shades of gray.CarpentryAll exterior carpentry has been replaced with PVC fittings.Building surroundingsThe original metal fence has been replaced with a wrought iron fence.Exterior conditiongoodInterior conditiongoodExterior authenticitypoorModificationsAfter 2014, the Marushi building was completely renovated and transformed. On the western side, the open terrace has been fully enclosed and a new volume has been added. On the northern façade, the oriel circular façade has been orthogonally partitioned with PVC windows. Similar later interventions include plasticized eaves, external air conditioning units, replacement of wooden carpentry with PVC, and the application of new paint across the entire façade. Additionally, the decoration of the roof cornice was lost after the renovation.
- not protected
- architectural and aesthetic authorship In the archives of the city of Bitola, only one section drawing of the building bearing a signature identified with the Czech architect Jan Dubovy was found. However, his official stamp, which appears on other buildings in Bitola, is not present here. Kokan Grčev, in the publication "Architectural Styles," mentions correspondence between the owners and a designer from Bucharest regarding the design of the building. It is possible that the building was designed in Romania and locally executed by Jan Dubovy, which remains to be further confirmed.
- The relevant institutions for the protection of cultural heritage and other decision-makers should take into account the values possessed by the building, recognize it as architectural cultural heritage from the period between the two world wars, and register it in the inventory of valuable objects. Recommendation to the owners: The value of the building should be respected when installing elements directly on the façades, and if changes are made, they should be aimed at preserving its authenticity.
- Kokan Grčev