Blue City is a postmodernist shopping centre in Warsaw, Poland, located at 179 Jerusalem Avenue within the district of Ochota. It was opened in 2004.
| Blue City | |
|---|---|
 Blue City in 2018. | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Shopping centre and office complex |
| Architectural style | Postmodern architecture |
| Location | Ochota, Warsaw, Poland |
| Address | 179 Jerusalem Avenue |
| Coordinates | 52°12′45.70″N 20°57′21.18″E / 52.2126944°N 20.9558833°E |
| Completed | 31 March 2004 |
| Owner | Blue City |
| Height | 55 m (180 ft) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 8 |
| Floor area | 180,000 m² |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Vahap Toy |
| Website | |
| bluecity.pl | |
History
editThe investition, originally named the Reform Center, was first proposed in the late 1990s, by Sabri Bekdaş, owner of the Reform Company. It was envisioned as a 9-storey-tall shopping centre. It was proposed to also include there an amusement park themed around musician Michael Jackson. In 1997, Amnon Shiboleth, businessperson and Jackson's lawyer met with the representatives of the company, to discuss the proposition. While the idea of the theme park feel through, Shiboleth himself became interested in the investition, and bought 51% of ownership from the Reform Company. The building was designed by architect Vahap Toy. Due to issues between investors, the building remained unused for several years, and severely deteriorated over that time.[1][2] Beginning in 2003, it was renovated and remodeled, and was opened on 31 March 2004. It became the biggest shopping centre in Poland at the time.[3]
In 2018, in the shopping centre was opened the "miniature" IKEA store, with an area of 4,800 m2. It was the smallest store opened by the company worldwide, as part of the test of new business strategy. It was closed in 2021.[4][5] In the same year, in Blue City was opened the Fit/One health club becoming the largest of its kind in Poland.[6]
Characteristics
edit
The Blue City shopping centre is located at 179 Jerusalem Avenue. The building was designed in the postmodernist style, and has the total area of 180,000 m2, of which 60,000 m2 is used by stores and services, while 19,000 m2 is an office space. It has 8 storeys, and its total height is 55 m. The shopping centre includes 220 stores.[7]
On the opposite side of the street, at 148 Jerusalem Avenue, is located the Atrium Reduta shopping centre.[8]
References
edit- ^ Kamil Lech (3 March 2023). "W warszawskim Blue City miał powstać park rozrywki… Michaela Jacksona". parkmag.pl (in Polish).
- ^ Kamil Jabłczyński (21 February 2023). "Niezwykła historia Blue City. Miał tu być park rozrywki Michaela Jacksona w Warszawie, tureckie wesołe miasteczko i centrum handlowe". warszawa.naszemiasto.pl (in Polish).
- ^ Jerzy S. Majewski (5 April 2004). "Architektura Blue City". warszawa.wyborcza.pl (in Polish).
- ^ Michał Wojtczuk: Mini-IKEA do szybkich zakupów. In: Gazeta Stołeczna, p. 4, 23 October 2018. (in Polish)
- ^ "IKEA zamyka warszawski sklep, który był najmniejszą placówką sieci". businessinsider.com.pl (in Polish). 13 July 2021.
- ^ Michał Szaflarski: Fit/One – największa siłownia w Polsce. In: Gazeta Stołeczna, p. 4, 14 December 2018. (in Polish)
- ^ "Blue City. Warszawa, aleje Jerozolimskie 179". urbanity.pl (in Polish).
- ^ "Atrium Reduta. Warszawa, aleje Jerozolimskie 148". urbanity.pl (in Polish).
External links
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