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Beyer Blinder Belle to restore Exchange Place
New York architect Beyer Blinder Belle has been tapped by the Tippen Corporation, a real estate firm based in Budapest, to develop an adaptive reuse and restoration plan for Exchange Place, a monumental national landmark located in the center of Budapest, Hungary. The 500,000 sq ft building, which was originally built in 1905 to house the Budapest Stock and Commodities Exchange, is notable for its many ornamental details in the distinctive Art Nouveau style of the Hungarian Secession.
With its central location on Freedom Square, a variety of new uses are being considered for the building including office and retail space as well as space for cultural programs. The restoration plan calls for the restoration of the building's ornate historic façades and intact grand interior spaces; most notably the main entrance stair hall and the central rotunda, and a complete updating of the mechanical and vertical transportation systems. Ground floor storefronts will be restored to accommodate cafes with sidewalk seating, animating the streetscape along the Nador Utca and Szabadsag Ter.
The restoration plan will be submitted to the National Office of Cultural Heritage for approval in early 2009.
Sharon McHugh
US Correspondent
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