Buza Péter - Gadányi György: Towering Aspirations - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1998)
1 28 VÁROSLIGETI FASOR, DISTRICT VI Although the documents, bearing the seal of builders Péterek and Wagner, attached to its blueprint describe its function as a permanent residence, in view of its stylistic properties and, moreover, the tastes reflected in the way its architectural environment was shaped, this building is more like a sumptuously elegant villa. Resting upon a segmented fagade the dome, whose proportions exhibit tasteful moderation, is a feature without which the villa would be incomplete. Two brothers had it built out of their paternal estate, which financial resource was probably supplemented by the elder son. No doubt he could afford to do so, since he was a lawyer who had established his reputation over decades. His brother is unlikely to have contributed much - he was a teacher and a musician. The three men in question are violinist Károly Huber and his two sons Dr Károly Hubay and Jenő Hubay, who changed their surname to Hubay in 1880 and 1890, respectively, to make it sound Hungarian. The two sons were the ones who undertook the demanding task of arranging the building of this high quality villa, albeit with no intention of ever moving in. Of all the scions of the Hubay family, the only one to take up residence here was another Jenő, the son of the prematurely departed elder brother, the lawyer. Jenő junior’s uncle, the composer, violinist and music teacher of later acquired fame never lived here for a single day. What is more, he even moved from the left bank to live out his retired, as well as his active, years in Buda, spending the longest period of time in a Fő utca residence. What all this suggests is that the Hubay sons are likely to have intended the villa as an investment, one that was probably profitable, given that in the early 1900s a prosperous gentleman purchased this beautiful villa for his family. Géza Eppinger was a wholesaler whose successful haberdashery, an establishment well-known and liked all over the city, experienced very good business in Sas utca in Lipótváros. He must have sold tens of thousands of lattices and spools of quality yarn and miles of fine textiles to the joy of the city ladies before he got this far. 26
