The oldest and most important bank before World War I.
The Deposit and Savings House of Oradea
About
The building was conceived as a dwelling house, but, starting in 1861, the ground floor of the building was where the Deposit and Savings House of Great Oradea (1847) operated – being the oldest and most important bank until World War I. The initiator and first president of the bank was Sztaroveszky Károly – a medic and founder of a children’s hospital in the city.
The two-level building in Piața Unirii (Szent László tér, Union Square) next to Primăriei Street (Teleki utca, City Hall Street), is formed of two wings. The building facing the square was probably constructed in 1809, being owned by the Greek-Catholic Bishop Samuil Vulcan (1806-1893), while the wing on Primăriei Street was erected in the 1810s.
The constructor of the building (as some sources say) was a bricklayer named Demetrie, who was the employee of the chapter.
In 1887, the building was modernized based on Rimanóczy Kálmán, Sr.’s plans in the eclectic style with Neo-Renaissance elements, except for the high roof, which was rebuilt later.
Starting from 1900, the bank operated its business at the upper floor along with other similar institutions. The ground floor, next to the Palace of the Greek-Catholic Bishopric, became home to the shop of renowned confectioner Müller Salamon. A summer kiosk was set up in front of the confectionery, along with a room for card games – which, at the time, was one of the favorite meeting points of the city’s elite – on the upper floor. Also on the ground floor, next to Primăriei Street, was where the “Crucea de Aur” (“Golden Cross”) pharmacy conducted its business (1873).