The planning site is located in a prominent part of Erzsébetváros, in a position of high
importance for the cityscape. The "Y" junction of Károly körút with Dohány Street developed relatively early, already depicted on a map from 1775. The first notable building on the plot at the end of the axis from Deák Ferenc Square is the Huszár House, built in 1847 according to
the plans of Ferenc Kasselik. The three-storey building was bought by the First Military
Insurance Institution in 1910 and demolished in 1911. In 1913, the headquarters of the
Institution was built following the plans of Guido Hoepfner and Géza Györgyi. The three
courtyards, two basement levels, ground floor, mezzanine plus four floors and attic with three
inner courtyards were built in the Art Nouveau period, but there are also traces of Art Deco.
The towers on the building were a dominant feature of the townscape, despite the fact that
they were a more modest version in height and detailing than the original plans. The main
tower on the axis was probably hit during the war, and the side towers were demolished after
the war. Designed by Ferenc Domány and Tibor Wellisch, in 1938 the club at the bottom of
the building was converted into an art deco cinema, later known as the Film Museum, and in
2004 it was converted into the Belvárosi Theater. This part of the building is a listed building,
as is the building itself.
After the towers were demolished, the building was covered with a simple roof, unworthy of
the house and the site, both in form and material. The roof structure has been repaired and
patched several times over the years, so various cover materials can be found such as tile,
asbestos slate, galvanised sheeting and (rusted) tin sheeting. The wooden structure is rotten
and infested in several places. The roof structure does not meet the requirements in its
present state and therefore it was considered to be demolished and to build a new modern
structure, fitting to the building and the site. Restoration to its original state would be
unjustified, given the discrepancy between the planned and the existing state and the fact
that the functionless structures would soon be abandoned. However, the restoration of a
dominant and exciting skyline is highly justified. The additional storey structure should
therefore be contemporary in architectural design, without detracting from the merits of the
building below and without competing with the neighbouring Dohány Street Synagogue.
The original building has a strong character, with its prominent full length side segments,
sculptures, detailed ornamentation, and two-storey high stone plinth, so it was important to
keep the appearance of the upper structure simple and homogeneous. The new mass should
not weigh on the building or overwhelm it, so we wanted to levitate it away from it. We
wanted to achieve this effect with the glass façade of the first floor, which would separate the
new from the old, and the glossy white cladding on the building would further alleviate the
building. The distinctive silhouette of the former towers is echoed by the white bands formed
by the ribbon-like lines of the canopies.
Location
Budapest VII.
Year
2018
Status
Kiviteli tervek
Size
2.200 m2
Client
Private individual
Photo / Visualisation
Áron Kovács
Location
Budapest VII.
Year
2018
Status
Kiviteli tervek
Size
2.200 m2
Client
Private individual
Photo / Visualisation
Kovács Áron, WhiteBox