The three Plecnik brothers purchased the property in 1915 in hopes of building a single home for the family. As it turned out, the architect Joza Plecnik lived alone in the house. He set about the reconstruction of the house with his characteristic thrift. He made use of inexpensive materials and a variety of different treatments, leftover pillars, slabs and other elements remaining from previous projects. He added a round tower finished with peculiar circular extension and a conical roof to the existing first floor of the house, a veranda near the entrance and a winter garden. The entrance veranda functioned as a reception room and as a lapidarium. After Plecnik's death in 1957, his nephew Karel Matkovic took over the house and donated it to the city of Ljubljana. In 1972 was converted into the museum.

Renovation of the Museum

The renovation of Plecnik's House was led by its owner, the Department of Culture of the Municipality of Ljubljana. Museum & Galleries of Ljubljana took a complete inventory of the heritage of Plecnik's collection and digitalised Plecnik's original plans in collaboration with the Museum of Architecture and Design. New study centre and exhibition spaces for the investigation of Plecnik's heritage has been established.

Preserving the original appearance of the house's exterior and interior including Plecnik's authentic internal and external furnishings was the responsibility of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Heritage of Slovenia (ZVKDS) and Marusa Zorec. The woodwork and all built-in timber were in an extremely bad state and therefore needed strengthening and conserving. Examining the house's structure allowed to thoroughly learn about all its features and discover all the interventions in it undertaken and completed by Plecnik.