“Any time I come in here, I am proud to work in a historic building that is the keepsake of many meaningful traditions. I am always enchanted by its elegance and beauty.”, said Dr. Andrea Kormos about the Central Administrative Building.
The head of the Rector’s Cabinet has been working at the university for 13 years and is proud to have been part of the revival of the building when its original interior splendor was restored in 2008-2009. This is why she considers the building her favourite location at the university.
The restoration was a special period for the employees working in the building. According to the original plans, the restoration were to be carried out along with uninterrupted office work. This was to be accomplished by the contractor’s blocking off a section temporarily with the departments involved working at reduced capacity, while the rest of the building would have been operating normally.
“Every morning the employees had to wear safety helmets and balance on narrow platforms to get to their offices.”, said Dr. Andrea Kormos, who was working at the Directorate General of Economic Management at the time, and was taking an active part in the organization and management of the renovation.
It soon became clear that it was impossible to do office work and refurbishment simultaneously, therefore the whole building was emptied in a week, except for the top floor.
The building designed by Antal Weber was opened in 1884 but had been deprived of its former magnificence by the 2000s as its interior spaces had been restructured and the corridors covered in decorative paintings had been painted white. During the refurbishment efforts were made to restore the original interior spaces.
“Thanks to these efforts, the colour of the walls and the ledges as well as the patterns of the decorative paintings reflect the original state. Today, it is hard to imagine that the hall, which is the venue for many representative events used to be a narrow and dark courtyard and the archways were covered with frosted windows. Following the suggestion of the architects, the courtyard was covered with a glass roof and the archways were dismantled to create a spacious and beautiful interior. This is the current hall, which is a worthy venue for the university’s festivities.”, said Dr. Andrea Kormos.
Gallery
The walls of the hall are decorated with glass paintings that show episodes from the history of the university. The glass painting of the first seal of the faculty of medicine, which depicts Virgin Mary taking the university under her protection, is particularly beautiful. Dr. Andrea Kormos has lovely memories of her personal involvement in choosing the themes of the pictures.
The Central Administrative Building is the iconic building of Semmelweis University. It has been home to the central units and the office of the incumbent leaders of the Faculty of Medicine for 135 years and its interior elegance is in harmony with the prestige of Semmelweis University.
“This building has a powerful history, an inspirational present and a promising future.”, said Dr. Andrea Kormos, hoping that the external reconstruction of the building could also begin in the anniversary year celebrating 250 years of the university’s foundation.
Eszter Keresztes
Photo: Attila Kovács – Semmelweis University
Translation: Ágnes Raubinek
In our article series entitled “My University”, we ask university citizens to show their favorite university location. These articles are a part of the celebration of Semmelweis University’s 250th anniversary year, which can be viewed on the University’s anniversary website.
