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Résumé:
The building no 54-56 in Budapest District VI (also called Terézváros), Nagymező Street, disposing over an 11,000 sq m area was built between 1900 and 1903, on the basis of the plans of architect Ernő BALÁZS. This was the first building in Budapest which was planned and built with the purpose of hosting a telephone central office. Its style displays the need for buildings of the contemporary telephone technology, and the appreciation of the telephone, as a new technological innovation, the almost cultic esteem shown also in the quality of the building.
Since 1900 the telecommunications technologies changed. The endeavour of the once revolutionary, modern, “prestige”-like building to serve the old technology with an exemplary accuracy became obsolete; moreover, one might say it became even comical. Since it lost its original function, despite its former good condition, the building became endangered. On the one hand the peril consisted in the series of rebuilding aiming at conforming the building to the telecommunications technology of a specific age, which considered only primary technical aspects instead of architectural considerations. On the other hand the building is endangered by the fact that today’s up-to-date telecommunications technology requires only an insignificant part of the total area of the central office. The once magnificent building, having lost by today its function, was offered for sale. The architect’s task consisted in the definition of the new function of the building, the analysis of the aspects arisen during this definition process, the formulation of theoretical considerations, accordingly the surveillance of the planning process and of the implementation. Despite the austere economic conditions, the accomplished building functions in an exemplary way of making use of its capacity at maximum.
Keywords: Telephone Central Office of Terézváros District, rebuilding, conservation, rehabilitation, function