The first restoration and renovation of the Tugendhat House took place at the beginning of the 1980s. The impetus for the preservation of the then already derelict building was provided by the architect Josef Němec, the director of the State Institute for the Renovation of Historic Towns and Listed Buildings in Brno (SÚRPMO Brno), who subsequently entrusted a team, led by the architect Kamil Fuchs, with the design of the restoration. The work itself, during which much of the project was altered or even vetoed, was carried out by the City of Brno Building Works Department. The house was then used for special occasions and accommodation for the city’s important guests. The SÚRPMO Brno project was produced in the sociopolitical atmosphere of the then socialist Czechoslovakia, and for its time, when the conservation of monuments of modern architecture worldwide was at the very beginning, was highly professional. Making the house accessible to the public was not possible to bring about, although the main thing, the Tugendhat House’s preservation for future generations, was achieved.
The book was published by the Brno City Museum in two languages (Czech, English).
Černoušková, Dagmar; Černá Iveta (eds.). Villa Tugendhat. 1980–1985, Brno 2015
The book is available for purchase at Villa Tugendhat and at Brno City Museum inside Špilberk Castle. It may also be ordered online at smerdova@spilberk.cz.
Prize: 499 CZK + packing and shipping costs
http://www.tugendhat.eu/cz/aktualne/krest-publikace-villa-tugendhat-1980-1985-372.html