The most beautiful palace of Kodály körönd shines again in its old splendor

In 2014, one of Budapest's most well-known fires occurred on Kodály körönd, which engulfed the upper floor of one of the city's most beautiful neo-Renaissance buildings. After a long renovation, the jewel of the körönd is now shining again.

For roughly five years, Andrássy út 83–85 stood with a temporary roof, which the common parlance only referred to as the burnt house in Körönd, and many people gave up on it. Until an investor found it. Being a monument renovation, the concept was to preserve and restore what they could from the original building, and the materials extracted from the demolition would somehow remain part of the building. It was not easy for the architects, as they were greeted by almost warlike conditions in the turn-of-the-century Neo-Renaissance, eclectic-style palace, which is considered unique within the district due to its segmentation and decoration.

There are 44 luxury apartments in the wonderfully renovated neo-Renaissance building of Kodály körönd. In addition, a cafe and various shops are waiting for those walking in the area. A relatively young architectural firm, PhoenArchitekt, took on the task of rehabilitating the building so that it can once again shine in its old glory in downtown Budapest.

It was a huge job

It is one of the most beautiful buildings in Kodály körönd, which has not just one, but five courtyards. PhoenArchitekt and VARRODESIGN undertook and carried out the rebirth of this large-scale property, which is located at Andrássy út 83-85, very carefully and with a lot of love. The building has become a high-end, luxury property, where nothing reminds of the terrible fire.

Since the building's attic was completely open due to a previous renovation and the partition walls were missing, the 2014 fire was really devastating. Nothing remained of the parts above the crowning ledge, every detail had to be reconstructed by the architectural team.

Today, the facade has regained its original form in every detail, but contemporary solutions have appeared in the interior, and even the former main entrance has been moved to a new location. It is interesting that the atriums, i.e. the inner courtyards, are named according to themes, so there is also the Renaissance Garden, the Palm Garden and the English Garden.

The Kodály körönd building has a long history

The construction of this building was completed in the first half of the 1880s. Its designer was Kauser Józef, who also carried out the interior design work of the St. István Basilica. Based on the plans, a very sophisticated building of the time, reminiscent of Neo-Renaissance castles, was created in the form of a very large apartment building.

"The large atrium opening from Andrássy út with the courtyard connecting to the southeast presents an effective transition with a loggia, of which there are few examples in the capital," they wrote in the article of the Építézforum , where every little detail about the restoration and monument protection procedures is revealed.

Source: Housing Culture / Hungarian Nation

Cover photo: Az Andrássy út 83-85.
renovation, Architecture: PhoenArchitekt, Interior design: VARRODESIGN, Photo: Attila Gulyás / epiteszforum.hu