Starobrněnská 13 – a building that opened up to people
After the revolution, the building was returned through restitution to the family that had owned it since 1935. When we bought it in 2022, it had nine co-owners. Since then, we have been renovating it following a plan, one part at a time. Today it is home to serviced apartments, apartments to rent and, on the ground floor, an artisan bakery.
The building at a glance
- Address
- Starobrněnská 13, Brno
- Majordo and the building
- owned by us since 2022
- What we have done
- three phases of renovation – apartments, hallway, shopfronts
- In the building today
- serviced apartments, apartments to rent, the Chleba Brno bakery
What the building has seen since 1863
The building on Starobrněnská has stood since 1863. Before it came to us, it changed hands several times.
- 1863The Brno master builder Mořic Kellner built it as a rental apartment building.
- Around 1895The building belonged to Karel Buchta, whose company made and sold pianos here.
- 1911The building belonged to the Rolnická tiskárna printing house. It housed the editorial office of an agrarian newspaper and the secretariat of the Agrarian Party.
- 1935A family acquired the building. After the revolution, their descendants got it back through restitution.
- Since 2022We bought the building from nine co-owners and are renovating it one part at a time.
When a building has several owners, it is often hard to agree on every repair. The building showed it. The photo shows the entrance to the building in June 2022, shortly after the purchase.
The apartments in the worst condition were uninhabitable. Other apartments were occupied by long-term tenants. The hallway and common areas were waiting for repairs. We drew up a plan spanning several years to gradually bring the whole building into good order.
June 2022 – preparing our office
July 2022 – a room ready for painting
January 2023 – staircase landing
January 2023 – cracks by the railing
January 2023 – upper-floor landing
January 2023 – hallway before repairs
January 2023 – old wall painting uncovered
February 2023 – work on the stucco frames
May 2023 – apartment stripped back to brick
May 2023 – tearing out the old kitchen
May 2023 – new ceilings and partition walls
July 2023 – apartment with a green sofa
July 2023 – apartment with crane wallpaper
July 2023 – apartment with a blue curtain
August 2023 – studio with tropical wallpaper
August 2023 – kitchen of the water-lily apartment
October 2024 – shop windows before replacement
October 2024 – new shopfront before installation
October 2024 – installing new wooden shopfronts
October 2025 – ground floor with the Chleba bakery
We are renovating it in phases
We are not renovating the building all at once, but to a plan spanning several years. We started with what was in the worst condition.
- Phase 1
Apartments in the worst condition
The uninhabitable units underwent a full structural renovation and are now apartments for short-term rental. Tenants stayed on in the units that were in decent condition.
- Phase 2
Hallway and common areas
After the apartments, it was the turn of the building’s hallway and common areas. The comparison below shows what the hallway looked like before and what it looks like today.
- Phase 3
Shopfronts
We brought back wooden shopfronts in a historicist style, like the ones the building used to have.
- Still ahead
Remaining areas
We are preparing the renovation of the remaining areas, including the staircase and cellars, which is coming up in the near future. After that, the whole building will be renovated.
How the building has changed
Move the yellow line with your mouse or finger and compare the same spot before the work and today.
Ground-floor hallway
Courtyard-facing apartment
Ground floor and shopfronts
What has changed in the building
| Area | Then | Now |
|---|---|---|
| Owner | nine co-owners | a single owner with a plan for several years |
| Apartments | the worst were uninhabitable | new apartments, long-term rentals, student co-living |
| Hallway and common areas | awaiting repair | hallway renovated, staircase and cellars in preparation |
| Ground floor and shopfronts | visual clutter | wooden shopfronts, restored facade, the Chleba Brno bakery |
Do you own a building with several co-owners? We will be happy to advise you
A building that is alive and still being renovated
There are commercial premises on the ground floor. The building has newly renovated apartments for short-term rental as well as apartments for long-term rental. We offer some of the apartments as student co-living, meaning shared housing for students.
What does this mean for owners? A building does not have to be renovated all at once. With a plan and a clear order of works, it can be renovated in parts, and tenants in units in decent condition can go on living there. Meanwhile, the finished parts serve both guests and tenants. At Starobrněnská, we are now preparing the renovation of the staircase, the cellars and the remaining areas. If you would rather not look after your building yourself, take a look at how our investment property management works.
Every Brno local will notice this
After about 20 years, the building has historic wooden shopfronts again. We designed them with architect Petr Klaška and with heritage conservationists, based on surviving photographs that show what the building used to look like.
Brno designer Veronika Rút, who has long been dedicated to improving public space, helped us get rid of the visual clutter. With her studio Richtig, she also designed the signage for the businesses in the building. The signs and stickers disappeared from the ground floor, and the facade was restored.
In autumn 2025, the artisan bakery Chleba Brno rented the ground-floor space. Brno locals buy coffee and baked goods here on their way to and from work. This has opened the building up more to people.
We are renovating the building with an architect
We are not renovating Starobrněnská all at once, but in phases. Ing. arch. Petr Klaška of the Brno architecture studio AAYE has been involved in every phase so far. Under his direction came the apartments in the formerly uninhabitable units, the renovated hallway with its stucco frames and the wooden shopfronts based on surviving photographs.
- Architecture and interiors
- AAYE architecture studio, Ing. arch. Petr Klaška
- Visual clutter and business signage
- Richtig studio, Veronika Rút
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Do you have a building that needs a plan?
We will be happy to discuss with you how to get it into good shape, step by step.