Žilina Gallery :: Fotogaléria mesta Žiliny

47 – The building of the present-day Prima Banka office, Hodžova ulica no. 9

Turistická informačná tabuľka č. 47 s QR kódom na bytovom dome, Hodžova 9 (terajšia expozitúra Prima banky)
(Foto: 30. 5. 2008)

The building was constructed as a single unit on the site of older ground-floor housing. It takes up the whole width of the plot of land and its volume closes up the eastern part of the block. It was originally a residential block of flats with shops on the ground floor. Its artistic and architectural focus was placed on the shaping of the façade in Art Nouveau style with many stucco features. It is a three-storey house with cellar space situated on a wide plot of land with an irregular rectangular layout. The building’s axis is the triple-run staircase which enables vertical communication. The building can be divided into three wings which face Hodžová street – the main façade, Dolný val street and Na priekope street. The main entrance is from Hodžová street.
The building is one of Žilina’s most striking examples of Art Nouveau architecture, built in the first two decades of the twentieth century. The Art Nouveau-inspired house was built for the iron trader Benö Mahrer. Over the course of the next few decades, the maintenance of the house was neglected; nevertheless, it has retained its original appearance. Small modifications have been made mainly on the ground floor. These had a rather negative impact on the construction and heritage value of the building. After 1949 the building was nationalised and used for banking. Later on, it housed TUZEX (a shop which sold foreign goods against “coupons” which replaced foreign hard currency). After 1980 it was home to state institutions. At present, following its renovation, Prima Banka has its office here.

Source: Mgr. Jozef Moravčík, Mgr. Peter Štanský. Text prevzatý z webovej stránky TIK Žilina (kliknite): www.tikzilina.eu.