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
H Sketch design, tower room Magyar Iparművészet, 1908.3. Thisfamily home in Brétfű was myfirst everplan to be realised, two years later, in 1910. Both the planning and the construction were both good solid craftsmanship, as was proven in 1944 when an American air bomb exploded right in front of the building. It shaved the shingles off the roof, bared thefacade, smashed in all the doors and windows and slightly twisted the wall of the tower room - yet neither the walls nor the roof structure received any incurable wounds. Even if badly stripped ofits ornaments and with many a poor transformation inside (madefor different reasons altogether), it still stands solidly in its place’. Obtaining the building permit ‘To get the permissionfor construction, I personally had to take my parents’ request and the designs to the municipal engineering bureau. Chief engineer, old Mihály Poczi was our acquaintance from ages ago and used to be our neighbour when we lived in Nagy Street. It was to him I handed in the documents. He looks at the sketches for a long time. ‘Beautiful it is’, he says', but what material do you intend to use for making these interior stairs?’ ‘Oak, of course’. ‘And if I'm not mistaken this here is meant to be a mansard’. ‘Correct’. ‘Well then, I give you the permission on two conditions: you make a proper upperfloor rather than a mansard and the stairs should be made of stone, not timber! ‘But it's absurd, sir! Not absurd but a municipal regulation, which must be adhered to! Igave it some thought and had an idea. ‘Then we'll make no mansard and the said stairs are going to lead to an attic! I said, taking back the sheet with thefloor plan of the mansard on it. Now that's a different story. Then I grant you the permission! I did get the building permit right away -for a one-floor building with separate stairs leading to the attic. (Needless to say, what did get constructed was a house with a mansard and an interior staircase leading up to it, made ofoak.) M Dining room and Hall watercolour, private collection 58
