Archa Palace in Na Poříčí Street celebrates its 100th anniversary

by   CIJ News iDesk III
2023-03-21   18:47
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The iconic office building Palác Archa, built in the rondo-cubist style, celebrates its 100th anniversary since its completion. To celebrate this important anniversary, a limited edition painting of the former Legiobank by Eugen Finkei will be created. It will be on sale on 23 March at the Black Madonna café on the ground floor of the palace.
"We are very proud to have the opportunity to be there as this unique building celebrates its centenary," says David Votřel, Head of Asset Management for CPI Property Group. "Archa Palace is an important part of our cultural heritage and we are pleased to be able to contribute to its preservation for future generations together with our tenants," he adds.

A limited edition painting of the building by Eugene Finkei has been created to celebrate the centenary of Ark Palace. The A3-size graphic will be printed using risograph technology. It is a very environmentally friendly process. "The inks are made from soy and rice, the paper for the printing matrix is made from banana peels, the paper for the print comes from sustainable forestry and the print itself consumes less energy than other types of printing," describes graphic designer Eugen Finkei with enthusiasm. "The Risograph creates the impression of handmade traditional printing by making small mistakes. For example, there are colour shifts, various spots, but also the dotting that is part of risograph printing. This is the uniqueness of the prints, each of them is an original," adds Finkei, a Slovak illustrator and graphic designer living and working in Prague. A limited number of 300 paintings will be

will be on sale on 23 March from 16:00 to 20:00 at the Black Madonna café, located right in the palace building.
The history of the building at Na Poříčí 24 began exactly one hundred years ago. Construction took place in 1921-1923, based on a design by the famous Josef Gočár, who gave the building the look of the original rondo-cubist style. Until 1955 it was the seat of the Bank of the Czechoslovak Legions, hence the name Legiobanka. As the Legiobanka prospered at that time, it had another building added in the immediate vicinity in 1937-1938. This one is already in a more modern functionalist style.

The grounds of both buildings of the Legiobank, which was nationalised after the war, were used for various administrative purposes for many years. It returned to its original function only after 1990, when the Czechoslovak Commercial Bank bought the site and had it spectacularly renovated and a new six-storey building with an underground car park added. Later it was further extended.

Today's name Palác Archa thus dates back to the time after the major reconstruction. At that time, the Archa Theatre was opened in the basement, which was occupied by Burian's famous "déco", later the E. F. Burian Theatre, during the First Republic.

This architectural gem is currently owned by CPI Property Group. The complex consists of four buildings with separate entrances, which are connected by a quiet green atrium, which also allows passage between Na Poříčí and Na Florenci streets. The premises offer over 15 thousand square metres of office space.