Stanisław Dec (1862–1943) was a Lviv-based architect, sculptor, and decorative artist who combined architectural design with artistic sculptural ornamentation. One of the figures who shaped the unique character of Lviv during the Art Nouveau period, Dec was closely connected to both the artistic and technical circles of the city.
He received his education in Lviv, studying from 1892 to 1895 at both the Lviv School of Arts and Crafts and the Polytechnic Institute. This dual education gave him a strong foundation in technical architecture and fine art, which later became a defining feature of his professional style.
Dec focused his work in Lviv, where from the late 19th century until the beginning of World War I, he was actively engaged as both a designer and a creator of decorative architectural elements. His projects are distinguished by a successful integration of architectural structure with sculptural facade elements — including reliefs, friezes, and ornamental panels. He worked mainly in the Art Nouveau (Secession) style, while also incorporating Neo-Gothic motifs such as pointed arches, elaborate frames, and steep gables.
He primarily designed and adorned income-generating residential buildings (tenement houses), constructed for the city’s growing middle class, especially in the neighborhoods of Kastelivka, the Franko district, and other newly developed areas of Lviv. Dec often performed both the roles of architect and sculptor on the same project — creating facade reliefs, coats of arms, decorative allegorical figures, female heads, and floral motifs himself. This ensured a cohesive aesthetic and allowed for close artistic control over the entire building.
During the interwar period, he stepped back from active architectural design but continued working on smaller sculptural commissions and private decorative projects. His body of work is part of the broader development of Lviv’s Art Nouveau movement and reflects a characteristic fusion of technical skill and artistic expression.
Stanisław Dec died in 1943 in Lviv. His legacy remains visible in the urban landscape of the city, representing an artistically integrated approach to architecture that continues to define the historical atmosphere of Lviv.