Fabó Beáta - Gall, Anthony: I came from the East to a City of Great Palaces. Károly Kós, the early years 1907-1914 (Budapest, 2013)
Kós' First Steps as an Independent Architect
IS Main elevation, 1912 Magyar Építőművészet, 1912.11-12. A. Pál Veres IS View from the Great Rock, 2012 László Haris H Perspective Magyar Építőművészet, 1912.11-12. THE BISON HOUSE DEMOLISHED AND RECONSTRUCTED ‘In 1653 AD I started the construction of the herd barn, for which I hired carpenter János Bot from Sztána. Also, I had new shingles put on the roof of the old house and a new porch added. For my son, I had a new house built, made of thick logs, with a stone base and a watchtower was built to stand between the old and the new house, likewise made of logs and with a porch!KOS 1912:34 The above description comes from an old chronicle, giving an account of the compound of a Kalotaszeg/ Tara Calatei landowner, which provided the inspiration for Kós when designing the Bison House - as well as having a strong influence on his other works at the time, including some early sketches for Crow Castle (1909). The building is characterised by extensive use of natural stone, timber logs and shingles. The two individual ‘houses’ are interconnected - a solution also used in two of Kós’ designs that were never realised, that for the House of Béla Fekete Nagy (1910) and the Calvinist Church of Csucsa/Ciucea (1911). The Bison House was demolished due to the extensive damage suffered during World War Two. It was finally reconstructed in 2010, using the original designs. The reconstructed building, 2010 László Haris 126
