Eclectic style with evident Neo-Gothic influences
Rimanóczy Kálmán Sen. Palace
About
The palace, built in the eclectic style with Gothic elements, dates as far back as 1905, being a copy on a different and much more simplified scale of the palace Cá d’Oro (House of Gold) in Venice.
The owner and constructor was the architect Rimanóczy Kálmán, Sr., while its designer was his son, the renowned architect Rimanóczy Kálmán, Jr. The gorgeous palace replaced an old house that was also the property of the Rimanóczy family. The owner’s intention to erect a monumental palace on this parcel of land dates all the way back to 1859.
This time, the architect chose a medieval narrative with a grand vision, a metaphor that was adequate for expressing the father-son relationship in the domain of architecture (respectively the relationship between sculptor Giovanni Bono and his son Bartolomeo) from the 15th century, successfully reproducing their work. The exterior of the palace values decorative elements and structures from the most blossoming period of Venetian Gothic art, characterized through the frequent use of Byzantine and Moorish elements.
The three-level building features tens of apartments with one or more rooms and a ground floor with a high ceiling that is specially conceived in such a way that the spaces within could be leased for commercial purposes. The building has a tall ground floor, two upper levels, a small tower on the corner with undulated windows, and two pediments forming a semi-circular arch on the main façade. The first floor features framed ogival windows, emphasized through arcades and decorative curves with geometrical motifs. The likeness to the Cá d’Oro palace in Venice is evident given the decorations on the façade and the cornice of the roof. The palace in Oradea features an exterior gallery similar to a balcony, covered in a row of arcades that appear on both levels. Following his death, the city inherited the palace, according to architect Rimanóczy, Sr.’s will.