Bratislava, June 12, 2019,
Six reconstructed floors on Gorky Street No. 4 will provide new tenants with 3100m2 of exclusive office space in the Old Town area in Bratislava. Reconstruction of the building was approved in November 2018 and these days the contractor handed it over to the owner, MiddleCap Group.

The original building of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry from the beginning of the 20th century is the work of the prominent Slovak architect Jozef Hubert. He was one of the elite architects of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at that time and his works from the turn of the century can be found in Bratislava, Budapest and Vienna. In the case of his work in Bratislava, the new owner of the property underwent a complete reconstruction and, since the building is protected as a national cultural monument, as well as a monument restoration, which included the restoration of the original street and courtyard facades, staircases and common representative areas. During the unique and demanding reconstruction, the builder adhered to the project of the architects Petr Bouda and Ivan Masár, who have more than 30 years of experience in the reconstruction of cultural monuments and historical buildings.

“To cooperate with a cultural investor, whose aim is not only to monetize their invested funds, but also to contribute sincerely to the technical preservation and restoration of the building’s heritage, to find its adequate function and to breathe new life, has always been motivation and inspiration and a binding criterion for the best possible professional performance,” says architect Peter Bouda about the work on the reconstruction of the former Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The investor started the work in January 2014 and after 5 years of effort the conversion of the inner court into a central social and representative communication hall with a glass roofing there was the result. The building also includes replicas of historic double-wing window panels with insulating double glazing on the outer wing and an electrically controllable external wooden roller shutter. In the interior is, among other things, preserved decorated stone staircase with the original blacksmith railing from the turn of the 19th and 20 century.

The premises thus meet the high standard of the most demanding clientele looking for an exclusive office for their business. “We took the reconstruction of such a precious piece of heritage-protected architecture as a challenge highlighted by the literally emergency condition of the building when it passed into our ownership. Consequently, the conditions imposed on us were many times more demanding than is the case with conventional new buildings. However, we have approached this very responsibly, which will certainly be appreciated by both the general public and professionals. The aim was to preserve the sophisticated atmosphere of the building itself and to add a top standard to it,”says Róbert Michalica, Head of MiddleCap Real Estate Slovakia, commenting on the final look of Gorky 4 offices.

The majestic building in eclectic style with characteristic corner towers, which were fully opened in the interior, was built in 1903 and is the work of architect Jozef Hubert, completed in the first half of the 20th century by Milan Michal Harminc. Rich stucco decorations and galleries with originally forged railings have been preserved to this days. In the 20th century, the building underwent several reconstructions and over time became the seat of the Customs Directorate for SSR, the Union of Slovak Dramatic Artists. Until 2004, the headquarters of the Slovak National Theater was located here. The building has been a National Cultural Monument since 12.03.1985.