The Vertex national enterprise, which was established in Litomyšl in 1949 in order to “industrialize” the district, started production in 1953 in a newly-built factory on the northern outskirts of the town near the settlement of Nedošín. Similarly to other enterprises, Vertex was required to fulfil the task of caring for the workers – along with the construction of apartment blocks (04-810), a kindergarten and crèche, the factory built two boarding houses for the temporary accommodation of their workers. After prolonged negotiations, grounds for the buildings were selected in J. E. Purkyně Street – originally, grounds in Nedošín and the Husova Quarter (07-VP1) were under consideration as they are closer to the factory.
Even though the design for the boarding house carried out by the Hradec Králové District Project Institute and led by the architect J. Hubáček has its roots in standardized modules, they contain several atypical construction features influenced by the so-called Brussels Style. This style favoured asymmetrical, subtle proportions and diagonals, all of which supported the dynamic tone of the composition, and richly applied in the Czechoslovak pavilion at the World Fair EXPO 1958 in Brussels – hence the term “Brussels”.
These styling tendencies can be observed on the generously proportioned entrance canopies with their funnel-shaped roofs and diagonal supports, which are of triangular floor-plan, and gradually narrow from the top down. The same can be observed on the trapezoidal avant-corps of the stairway at the rear facade. There was a lack of money for more lavishly equipped interiors, however, minor “Brussels-style” details have been preserved to date, for example the stairway balustrade with its diagonal balusters.
After 1989, the buildings were adapted for the needs of the town council (No. 918) and for housing purposes (No. 917).
