Gerle János: Palaces of Money - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1994)

created by these banks is a kind of tense force-field which was only felt previously around military installations and penal institutions.

Another, contrary, characteristic of these buildings is their “fashionable” appearance. The noblest materials and classic forms appear between the inverted commas of the fashionable interpretation of the day, as though no value could be its own standard, but could only be related to aesthetic expectations manifesting themselves in continually changing fads. Central to a bank’s self-representation is the aspiration “to keep up with the times”. This attitude, together with the struggle against obsolescence, is gaining ground in every walk of life. One way of fending off obsolescence is the excessive accumulation of the paraphernalia of fashion. Along with the fads themselves, the idea that fashion as such carries value is imported from the West. It was there that commercial architecture turned the pressures exercised by the construction industry to its own advantage and thus gave in to the consumerism characterising the economy at large. The real standard of stability and reliability is now whether a bank can keep up with or, preferably, walk one step ahead of the times. To do so, it needs an ability to be informed, that is to rapidly access information, and a financial capability to make frequent adjustments. Both are essential criteria of every aspect of banking, which is why the unconditional acceptance of the fashion concept is particularly spectacular in this sphere.

Constant change is, above all, a matter of technology. It is to be feared that the banks in Budapest, which have tried to keep abreast with the changing fashions of the times through using traditional construction technologies, have lost their characteristic image too quickly and too permanently.

The above general statements are meant to describe the most conspicuous groups of the new architectonic constructions. There is a noteworthy exception-the Rákoskeresztúr OTP branch, built in 1990-91 to plans by Zoltán Vermes. At a time when the traditional centres of outlying districts have been demolished one after the other, this Rákoskeresztúr bank, together with the Post Office next to it (and the chemist’s shop), is a shining example of how a building of the appropriate proportions and quality can enhance the appearance of its surroundings. It is its unassuming, frank openness that makes this likable bank into a model piece of architecture.

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