What's Behind the Green Door? The Parisi Udvar, Budapest, and Renovation

In the last blog post, I wrote about the renovation of the Kiraly Bazaar and the degree to which it changed the way the building looked.  Today, I want to describe the Parisi Udvar, one of Budapest's most iconic buildings.  It sits at the entrance to Ferenciak tere, in sight of the Kiraly Bazaar, and, like the Kiraly Bazaar, is also slated for renovation.

The renovation, by Mellow Mood Hotels, is promised to be finished by summer of 2017.  But for those who did not have a chance to see the building before the renovations, here is what is at stake:

The Parisi Udvar was originally known as the Downtown Savings Bank.  Built by Henrik Schmal between 1909 and 1913, the bank sat atop a shopping arcade Parisi Udvar (or Paris Court), the name by which it is now known.  The Parisi Udvar uses the Gothic style mixed with a generally “Moorish style” primarily as a source of intricate ornamentation.  The details of the interior, particularly the shopping arcade, are equally elaborate and striking.  Akos Moravanszky describes it as evoking a “Central European dream of the oriental bazaar rather than rather than any [Gothic] association with the the Middle Ages,”  It is filled with stunning details.

The inside is a shopping arcade with glass domes and mosaics made by the great Miksa Roth.

One hopes for the best.

#Budapest #ParisiUdvar #Renovation

Recovered or Replaced? Repairing Historical Buildings in Budapest.

I recently read that there are approximately 1000 Art Nouveau buildings in Budapest, These buildings are in various states of repair.  Some are beautifully restored.  Others are to one degree or another repaired.  And some are in total states of disrepair. But what constitutes "repair" when dealing with buildings that are privately owned and serve different purposes?

Ferenciak tere, in the historical center of Budapest, is one of the most beautiful squares in the city.  It sits off Kossuth Lajos utca, just before it enters the Freedom Bridge.  Just before the bridge are the famous Klotild Towers (one renovated by Buddha Bar that retains the original outside appearance but not the inside; the other waiting for renovation).  At the entrance to the square are three large buildings, including the famous Parisi Udvar, each facing a corner, with entrace to the square at the fourth corner.  One of the buildings that makes up Ferenciak ter is called the Kiralyi Bazaar--two joined buildings that open to a shopping arcade.

When we were here last year the Kiraly Bazaar looked like this.

It was obviously in need of repair, but nevertheless a distinctive building.  Now it looks like this:

It has not only been repaired but has been painted in various shades of beige/orange.  The problem is not just the colors look odd (was orange and beige truly a 1900 shade of paint?) but that the sculptural details are difficult to discern under the layers of paint.

(Everytime I pass this building I get annoyed.)

Obviously Budapest's buildings need care and attention.  But to paint an otherwise unpainted building and to paint it in such odd colors begs the question of the degree to which this still is the original Kiraly Bazaar.

This questions also arises with the famous Parisi Udvar, which is now covered up while renovation proceeds.  The Mellow Mood Hotel Chain is promising a 2017 re-opening

(Stay tuned to see what's at stake.)

#Budapest
#BudapestBuildingRenovation
#KiralyBazaar