The aims of this article are to identify the models and methods of shaping the façades of townhouses on Nowy Świat Street in Warsaw from a formal and aesthetic perspective, and to assess the degree to which the reconstructed façades conform to their historical prototypes, characteristic of, among others, 19th-century architecture from the period of the Congress Kingdom. Particular attention was paid to the façades of the houses at 40 and 49 Nowy Świat Street, which provided an important size and stylistic model for the designs for the reconstruction of other façades. The study carried out involved an analysis of the so-called stereometric indices, which describe the size, tectonics and articulation of buildings. The scope of the comparative study was limited to the front façades of the townhouses forming the compact street frontages. A comparison was made between their existing condition and the historical image from 1938–1939, documented in archival photographs. Based on the identifi ed criteria, they were classifi ed according to three methods of restoration: contrast, styling and reconstruction. The results of the study indicate that only a few façades meet the criteria of faithful reconstruction – the majority represent a form of styling, and some were designed completely from scratch. The analysis conducted provides a better understanding of the aesthetic assumptions behind the post-war reconstruction of Nowy Świat Street and organizes the knowledge about the actual methods of restoration of the historical character of this major street of Warsaw.