Fráter Jánosné: »Nemzeti részvét emelte« 100 évvel ezelőtt kezdték építeni az Akadémia palotáját (A MTAK kiadványai 28. Budapest, 1962)

the schools, public bodies and cities. The Smiths' and Wheelwrights' Association of Eger, a guil dof nine members, sent 30 forints for the construction of the building, "... while the journeymen, inspired by the exemplary patriotic sentiments of the masters, added 4 forints, saved up from their weekly wages ..." A Hungarian bootmaker resident in Vienna, István Lednitzky, handed Kálmán Szily 5 forints for the purpose with the following remark: "I would never dare look at that house if I had not had a part in having it built". The mahogany doors of the Grand Hall of the Academy are a gift from Károly László, a compatriot living in Mexico, while the ornamental carpet in the Hall is a fine manifestation of the enthusiasm of the Hungarian women. The site of the building was given the Academy by the City of Pest, half of it free, the other half at a reduced rate. The contemporary value of the gift was estimated at 180.000 forints. 11. As a result of the collection campaign which had acquired the dimensions of a national cause, several hundred thousand forints were collected by the end of 1861. The Academy appointed a Building Committee of three to be in charge of the project. The plans of the building were not subject to competit ion but were prepared by invitation - a fact which elicited several critical articles in the contemporary papers. Of the various schemes the Building Committee adopted the design of the Berlin architect A. Friedrich Stiller. Despite the polemics in the papers, the Committee adhered to its original ideas and the construction of the building began at the beginning of April 1862, on the basis of St tiler's modified plan. The fund which had been collected proved to bo insufficient for the building, so that the Academy once more made an appeal to society. Due to the further donations and with much self-sacrificing work the building was finally completed and dedicated on December 9th, 1865.