A pseudo-Medgyaszay house in Buda

Text: Renáta Herczeg, Endre Prakfalvi 

The main facade of the building at No. 24 Retek Street bears characteristics of Art Nouveau style. Built by master architect István Schumy in 1889, it is a single-storey residential building with a – nyeregtető The original structure was extended with two additional storeys by masters Marton and Szalka in 1910–1911 for Lustig Ignácné. The house is now a characteristic component of the streetscape. It is a unique addition with its Art Nouveau facade and historisist details of the block running from Széna Square to Szilágyi Erzsébet Avenue. Manners evoking the style of István Medgyaszay – such as the ceramic ornaments on the facade and the forms of the balcony brackets – are not by coincidence: masters in charge of its remodelling were also the ones constructing a residential building designed by István Medgyaszay in Orlay Street.