Hidvégi Violetta - Sebestyén László: Áthallások. Ybl a Palota-negyedben (Budapest, 2016)
I. Írások
Vili., Bródy Sándor utca 3.- Pollack Mihály tér 3 \ eng The formation of the palace quarter around the National Museum was influenced by political, cultural and sports institutions as well. Noblemen could find the scenes where they could practice politics, and spend their spare time in the neighbourhood. The Hungarian Theatre, later National Theatre was opened at the intersection of today’s Rákóczi Road and Múzeum Boulevard in 1837. The National Museum, designed by Mihály Pollack, was finished in a decade. The construction of the former gardens’ area, its becoming a magnate’s quarter was primarily due to the sports institutions found here. The choice of the site behind the National Museum might have been influenced by the fact that there had been riding halls in the neighbourhood earlier. The Riding Association of Pest set up as the initiative of Count Antal Szapáry, covered the construction of its riding hall, fencing chamber and gymnasium from issuing shares. Half a year after the beginning of the construction on 26 June 1857, the building was open for members on 7 January 1858. A building of high quality was born, satisfying from every respect the needs of the aristocracy. The two canopied entrances lead directly to the hall. The riding hall was placed in the protruding middle section of the long rectangular building while the stables, the pistol-shooting room, and the flats of the staff were put in the lower side wings by Ybl. There was a salon on the upper level of the riding hall on the street front, suiting social needs, looking on the hall through a row of arcades with glass panes. The street facade followed the interior arrangement. There were arched twin windows on the side wings, above the mid-section one window was placed above each door, in the middle, three semicircular windows, topped by an arched corbel table on the whole facade. Ybl asked for the building permit for the gymnasium on the north of the riding hall on 20 April 1858. The Committee for City Embellishment issued the permit for the construction in ten days for József Diescher, who was the contractor. The rectangleshaped gymnasium connected perpendicularly to the wing along the street comprising flats. The other piece of the pair of buildings was also inspired by Romanticist style, with medieval elements. The gymnasium was replaced by the Esterházy Palace in 1871, built according to the plan of Antal Baumgarten. The so called Marble Room of the Hungarian Radio can be found here today. The building of the riding hall, damaged in WW2 was pulled down in 1948. A two-storey high Cold War air-raid shelter was constructed on its site with two studios, which was built around by an office building. 047 6.02
