Detailed restoration of the façade of a magnificent apartment building on elegant Kodály körönd, halfway up Andrássy út towards Heroes’ Square, can now go ahead after years of neglect and pollution. Once belonging to MÁV Hungarian railways, the property is 5,000 square metres in size and contains 110 apartments. Today in state hands, it is being painstakingly renovated step by step, the ornate detail on the façade the next stage to be given the green light.
The imposing, concave building at Andrássy út 88-90, which occupies an entire corner of Kodály körönd, has long been under renovation. Now expert restorers can start work on the gorgeous façade, involving replacing and repairing the plaster, doors and windows.
The so-called MÁV apartment building at is 140 years old, Reminiscent of a Renaissance palace in Tuscany, it was built between 1880 and 1882 according to the plans of Gusztáv Petschacher.
With the exception of the back façade, the whole building is covered with a special sgraffito, designed by Lajos Rauscher, figurative elements added by Bertalan Székely. The wrought-iron fence lattice and the double-winged gate, made by renowned master Gyula Jungfer, also deserve special mention.
The property was last renovated in 1960, and has since been subjected to more than 60 years of traffic fumes along this busy boulevard.
