Tóth József Theatre, Szentes

Architects: Marcell Komor (1896), János Szabó (2021)
Text: Eszter Baldavári
Photos: Zsófia Nyirkos

The Szentes consolation and theater, which opened at the turn of the century, was in a very dilapidated state by the 1990s. In the fall of 2021, after 13 years of endurance and multi-pace renovation, it will reopen. The consolation is the first work of Marcell Komor, one of the leading figures of Art Nouveau Hungarian architecture. The consolation was built in two phases, one wing with the hotel and theater was completed in 1898, and by 1900 the other wing, which housed shops on the ground floor, rental apartments on the first floor, and rooms for social life. The café opened on the corner of the building, which could be accessed from both streets. The reconstruction, which began in 2008, was halted for a long time by the economic crisis, and finally, from 2016, work could begin. A communal-cultural space has been created on the ground floor, the facades will be reconstructed by 2020, and the theater and consolation revitalization will be completed by September 2021. The theater has been modernized and made more comfortable with a contemporary extension. The room can also be used as a concert hall or function room with a detachable auditorium and a recessed orchestra trench.

Client: Municipality of Szentes
Leading architect: János Szabó – Planning-Stúdió Kft.
Fellow architects: Noémi Csulya, Éva Pluhár, Angéla Simon, Ádám Szabó, Krisztina Terényi
Structure: Tibor Bene
Interiors: István Szenes
Interior fellow designer: István Popovics
HVAC: Szilárd Attila Pánfi
Electrical engineering: Erzsébet László
Acoustics: Éva Arató, Bertalan Szentmiklósi Dr.
Stage technology: Iván Szabó-Jilek
Rehabilitation: Zsolt Sipos
Fire protection: Attila Kiszely
Safety technology: Árpád László