Ferkai András: Shopfronts - Our Budapest (Budapest, 1996)

people in two - to its left was the entrance to the flats while to its right was the door leading to the shop. All advertisements and other elements intended to catch the attention of passers-by were concentrated here. Neon strips framed the disk and a sign written in block letters was placed on its edge. The column was covered with vermilion tiles, every other one of which was decorated with folkloric scenes in accordance with the tastes of the period. The door leading to the shop was located among concave shop windows and continued the line of the disk. It was protected with gilded bronze bars, whose meandering patterns twined around female figures. For reasons unknown, during reconstruction in 1975-77 the column’s cheerful tile covering was replaced with black stone better suited to the mood of a cemetery, the arched shop windows were made angular and the entrance to the flats was walled up. In addition, as a result of the transformation of the shop’s interior, everything that remained of the original interior and the furnishings planned by the industrial designers Faragó and Gróf has disappeared. In spite of these alterations, the shopfront’s main characteristics have persisted and due to its elegance it contrasts sharply with the garish and showy shops built recently in the inner city.

Vilmos Lipcsei’s fashion store at 11 Ferenciek tere, V

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