Tuesday, March 29, 2016

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

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