Central Park. Complex of residential and commercial buildings, Poznań
Central Park is a multi-functional complex consisting of a residential part, commercial units and an exhibition zone comprising the Motown Museum of Technology and Automotive Industry.
The village of Jeżyce, and subsequently the Jeżyce Suburb constituted one of the main directions of Poznań’s development at a time when it was a garrison town and a fortress. At the turn of the 19th century, in the year 1900, Jeżyce was incorporated into Poznań. The creation in 1921 of the Poznań Fair led to intensive development of the neighbouring areas, and a rapid increase of the population in the 1920s resulted in the development of urban infrastructure. As a consequence of this process, at the site of the Stargard-Poznań Railway Terminus built in 1848, a tram depot with repair workshops was erected. In 2007, by a decision of the municipal authorities, the site of the depot was transformed into a multi-functional museum and exhibition space.
Mission and potential of the site
The Motown Museum of Technology, located in the building of the former Tram Depot at ul. Gajowa, is an excellent location. To one side there is an almost 6 ha municipal park established at the site of the old Zoo, and to the other is Jeżyce, a borough entering a phase of dynamic revitalisation.
Beautiful, multi-story tenement houses built in the Secession style, hidden mysterious yards and passages, and tree-lined narrow streets resembling the streets running off Berlin’s Ku’dam, offer a huge potential, which is being gradually discovered by Investors. Therefore, the Motown Museum of Technology and the entire Central Park complex not only fit perfectly the Jeżyce revitalisation programme but will probably become a stimulus of this scheme and a link to the dynamically growing Centre and the site of the Poznań International Fair. The proximity to the Fair, Kaponiera, the Sheraton and Mercure Hotels, and the Integrated Transport Centre (to be ready by 2012) and the revitalised Modena allows us to believe that ul. Zwierzyniecka will become the main thoroughfare and pedestrian precinct linking Jezyce with the Centre of Poznań, along Most Teatralny and ul. Dąbrowskiego.
The Motown idea and programme
The idea of Motown Museum of Technology and Automotive Industry follows a very strong global trend generated by collectors and fans of cars and technology. The historic, post-industrial interiors of the Tram Depot have been used and programmed as a modern museum and exhibition space combined with the idea of clubs-garages, where the aficionados of the automotive industry come together. This multi-functional space has been fitted with complete technical infrastructure, thanks to which, apart from being a permanent exhibition of historic and sports cars, Motown should become the best address in town for car events, conferences and cultural events, and, above all, a cult place of daily meetings of all generations of technology and car lovers, which should ensure very high numbers of visitors. The opportunity to rent premises and POS enhances even further the attractiveness and functionality of this space.
The extensive Motown programme
includes, among others:
- a temporary exhibition of historic trams, made even more attractive by a continuous rotation of models and location changes (outdoor exhibition),
- inclusion of the historic models in the CityTOUR idea and turning MOTOWN into a starting point for sightseeing tours,
- presentation of the museum collection gathered by Automobilklub Wielkopolski, previously displayed at the Kaponiera Museum,
- multimedia, illustrated history of world and Polish automotive industry,
- glass boxes for presentation and “garaging” of cars owned by private collectors,
- condensed trade offer of at least several leading car manufacturers with technical service facilities in 2- or 3-level showrooms situated in ul. Zwierzyniecka,
- professional, tunnel car wash,
- realisation of the “Toys for Boys” trend, i.e. stores and POS connected with the automotive sector (tuning, motorcycles, car hi-fi), and male hobbies and passions (wines, watches, hi-end audio, model railways, etc.),
- exhibition areas for holding events and presentations of products, fitted with appropriate lightening and sound systems and multi-media equipment,
- multi-functional and modular conference spaces,
- integrated multimedia games stations.
- restaurants and cafes,
- theme bars,
- lounges,
Technical education
Workshops and presentations for young people and students will be organised as part of the technical education programme operated in collaboration with the Poznań University of Technology and selected research and commercial institutions. The open formula of the programme provides for regular meetings with car designers, engineers and animators of technical innovations.