The Architecture of Zdzisław Borysowicz – from Poland to West Africa, via Liverpool
Professor Iain Jackson (AHUWA Lab, School of Architecture, University of Liverpool, UK)
Zdzisław Borysowicz escaped Poland during the Second World War. He had some training and experience in architecture, and upon arriving in the UK enrolled in the newly formed ‘Polish School of Architecture’ at the University of Liverpool. His work features in the School’s publications and upon graduation he obtained work in West Africa. We don’t yet know the details of what informed this path – but what followed was an extraordinary career involving a vast array of contemporary architectural works across Nigeria, Ghana, and Sierra Leone.
Understanding the practice of Borysowicz
For many years we had been researching buildings designed by ‘Nickson and Borys’. Whilst we knew a little about Nickson, the Borys side of the partnership was something of a mystery. But whilst researching at Fourah Bay archives in Sierra Leone we came across a folder with correspondence from Nickson and Borys, including a letter head with Borys’s full name - Zdzisław Borysowicz – and details on his qualifications, including mention of the Liverpool School of Architecture. With this data we then were able to track Borysowicz in our university records and to begin the task of researching him further.
At the opening the V&A Tropical Modernism exhibition in 2024 I relayed this story to friends and colleagues, and to our utter surprise Hannah O’Leary (head of Modern and Contemporary African Art at Sothebys) said she knew Borysowicz’s daughter….
Hannah kindly put us in touch and we began corresponding and discussing the remarkable career that Borys developed, both as Nickson and Borys, and through several other businesses and entrepreneurial ventures. Finally last week I was able to visit the family archive and to begin examining some of the material that survives. There’s probably a lot more still in West Africa – but thankfully plenty to get us started and to begin piecing together more on Borysowicz’s life and work.
Buildings Designed by Borysowicz
Accra Library, Accra, Ghana
It shared its premises with the headquarters of the Ghana Library Authority. It was established in 1946 in former Parliament House. The present premises was officially opened on 17 May 1956 by the governor Sir Charles Arden Clarke, the prime minister, and the president of the British Library Association. The Accra Central Library is located on the High Street, Thorpe Road.
George Padmore Memorial Library, Accra, Ghana
The George Padmore Memorial Library in Accra, Ghana, was established in 1961 by Kwame Nkrumah to honor his friend and advisor, George Padmore, a prominent West Indian Pan-Africanist. Initially named the Padmore Research Library on African Affairs, it aimed to support research on African affairs. Following the 1966 coup that ousted Nkrumah, the library was renamed the Research Library on African Affairs. The library serves as a legal deposit library, preserving and acquiring copies of all significant publications produced in Ghana. It also functions as a bibliographic control center for publishers in Ghana.
Barclays Bank, Freetown, Sierra Leone
The former Barclays Bank building in Freetown, Sierra Leone, is now Rokel Commercial Bank (SL) Ltd. Barclays Bank first established a presence in Sierra Leone in 1917 as Barclays Bank DCO. In 1971, it was incorporated locally as Barclays Bank of Sierra Leone Limited, with a mix of Sierra Leonean and international ownership.
Offices of Cappa and D’Alberto, Lagos
Cappa and D'Alberto, a leading construction company in Nigeria, has a significant history of building in Lagos, including various office buildings. Founded in 1932 by Pietro Cappa and Viginio D'Alberto, the company undertook numerous pre-independence projects like Holy Cross Cathedral, Humani Mosque, Kingsway Stores, and Maternity Hospital, Lagos Island.
Western House, Lagos
the iconic Western House building owned and managed by Wemabod Limited, once touted as the tallest skyscraper on the Marina and located on the Lagos Island Central Business District (CBD), opposite the Lagos Island General Hospital on the Broad Street side. Its vast blue, yellow, and white mosaic facade, designed by Jeanne Mount, is hard to miss and leaves quite an impression.
Other buildings designed by Borysowicz include
- Public Records and Archives Department, Accra, Ghana
- Barclays Bank, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Municipal Buildings, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- General Post Office, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- DELCO House, Freetown, Sierra Leone
- Offices and Warehousing, Apapa, Nigeria
- Cocoa house, Ibadan, Nigeria
- Borikiri Garden City, Port Harcourt, Nigeria
Call to Action
Our next step is to write a monograph on Borys with a focus on his work in Western Africa. If you worked with him, have vintage photos or plans, or know more about his work please do get in touch – we’d be delighted to hear from you. Email AHUWA Lab you thoughts and comments at ahuwa@liverpool.ac.uk.