Gresham Palace

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Gresham Palace

Gresham Palace or Gresham palota is acclaimed as one of the finest examples of Art Nouveau architecture in Central Europe. The palace is located in Budapest, Hungary. With the original details now breathtakingly restored - including sweeping staircases, stained glass, mosaics, ironwork and soaring wintergardens - Four Seasons has reinvented this architectural jewel as a grand, vintage hotel with 21st century infrastructure. The rooms and suites are all generously sized and reflect the architectural heritage of the palace, with step-out balconies and vaulted ceilings.

[edit] History

The Gresham Palace site originally housed a neo-classic palace, the Nako House, which was built in 1827 by Antal Deron, a wholesale merchant, and was based on the design of Joseph Hild. In 1880 the Nako House became the possession of the Gresham Life Assurance Company, a British company founded in 1847.

The company decided to build its foreign headquarters on this site and the Nako House was demolished in 1903. The present building was started in 1904 and completed in 1906, and was based on the designs of Zsigmond Quittner. Originally a luxury palace built for wealthy British aristocrats, Gresham Palace was made home by Soviet troops during World War II. Falling into disrepair and neglect, it was used as a private apartment building during communism. In 1990, when Hungary once again became a democracy, the Hungarian National Government transferred ownership of Gresham Palace to the Vth District of the City of Budapest. It had, on several occasions prior to this, attempted to convert Gresham Palace into a luxury hotel. It underwent extensive renovations overseen by Patrick Fejér of the architectural firm Formanyelv and opened in 2004 as the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace.