Árkád Bazár - Árkád Bazár

The four-storey Art Nouveau building designed by László Vágó and József, built in 1909, opened the "Árkád Bazár" toy store of Késmárky and Illés on the ground floor. Even today, the inscription "Késmárky and Illés" under the letters ARKÁD. The marble paneling of the building features fairy-tale scenes and children's toys made of zsolnay pottery: a small child plays with a wooden sword, a croaker, and soldiers on their heads among the castles. Here you can see a baby doll, a rocking horse, a monkey and a cat, as well as a monogram of the shop (ÁB). In its time it was one of the largest toy stores in Europe. The toy trade ceased in 1924. Instead, he opened a car dealership with Ferenc Illés Jr., where he sold American Velie cars and equipment such as tires, oil, gasoline and other items. Thus, over time, the corner house adopted the name "Autópalota". Ownership of the corner house was taken over by the state in 1946 and the building was renamed to the Social Democratic Party. It was here that the Social Democrats, together with the National Council of Trade Unions, established the Gábor Egressy Art Club, which was used as an exhibition space and for reading evenings. In the corner of the house the Arcade Bazaar functioned for a long time, later it was sold as the Elijah store. After the closure of the toy store, the building was run by the "Egressy" (National Council of Trade Unions Gábor Egressy Gábor Art Club) in the 1950s, and from 1960-1969 by the KÉV-Metro Club. The Transport Construction Company was originally intended as a nightclub for underground metro workers who later developed into a cult youth club, the emblematic place of the domestic beat era. In the seventies and eighties the place functioned as a cultural center, as an event hall, where school celebrations, exhibitions and concerts were held. From the time of the change of regime, all kinds of clothing boutiques were opened, shattering and confusing the interior. Today the "Basar Hostel" operates in the building.