Once Upon A Palace

Formanyelv and Richmond International create a fairy-tale setting at the Four Seasons Hotel in Budapest

Annie Block -- Interior Design, 6/1/2005 12:00:00 AM

Englishman Sir Thomas Gresham was a 16th-century financial guru. In addition to amassing private wealth as a banker, he served as King Edward VI's royal agent in Antwerp, Belgium, and founded the London stock exchange in 1565. Today his legacy lives on at the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest.

The palace itself has an equally storied past. Originally an 1827 private residence, it was purchased in 1903 by London's Gresham Life Insurance Company (which owed its name to Sir Gresham) and converted into a satellite office and luxury apartments for visiting aristocracy. The transformation was carried out by Hungarian architects Zsigmond Quittner and József Vágó, who created a five-story masterpiece reflecting the art nouveau and secessionist movements. Over the course of the 20th century, the palace fell 'into disrepair and was eventually abandoned.

But with the rebirth of democracy in Budapest in 1989 came the rebirth of Gresham Palace. It was purchased by real-estate developers Gresco Investments and Quinlan Partners; Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts came onboard to manage the property and oversee its reconstruction—a six-year, $120 million effort enacted by Formanyelv and Richmond International.

"We found guns stashed behind window paneling and a bomb on the roof," recalls Patrick B. Fejér, Formanyelv's founder and head of design, of preliminary inspections. "All the rooms had been chopped into creepy, 4-foot-wide spaces." Although the rear facade had decayed and the roof's peak had been blown off in World War II, the teams had to adhere to structural limitations imposed by the Budapest Heritage Board, as the palace was designated a protected landmark in the 1970's. That meant the height of the structure could not be increased. "So we went into the attic," continues the architect, turning the palace's original five floors into six. Dispersed among its now 280,000 square feet are 179 guest rooms, two restaurants, 6,458 square feet of conference space, and a spa.

Project architect and Budapest native Gábor Kruppa—now with Kima Studio—oversaw restoration of the entry. "The challenge was making elements look like they'd been here for years," he says—in particular, the ground-floor passage's 43-foot-high cupola, whose steel frame was reconstructed and fitted with hundreds of new glass panes. Kruppa and Fejér enlisted myriad local craftsmen to repair the passage walls' pyrogranite-glazed tiles as well as the palace's stained-glass windows. "I felt like a conductor," says Fejér of the 800 people on-site daily.

Richmond International selected artwork and furnishings. In the center of the passage floor, the firm rendered an elaborate art nouveau swirl in marble mosaics. Just to the side is the cast-bronze Tumbling Doll by Hungarian sculptor Mamikon Yengibarian. "It punctuates the passage without being the focus," explains Richmond design director Fiona Thompson.

Art deco lines appear in the guest rooms, all of which afford views of the Danube or one of the palace's three courtyards. The balcony off the royal suite captures views of the Chain Bridge, built in 1849 to connect Buda to Pest (the hotel is in Pest). Inside, Richmond imbued the suite with the luxury typical of any Four Seasons. Cream-colored lacquer walls are embedded with nickel. Plush chenille covers the sofas. Brazilian ipé floors are softened with custom silk-and-wool Tibetan rugs.

For further pampering, guests head up to the attic, converted by Formanyelv into a state-of-the-art spa, replete with an infinity pool, alabaster-clad whirl- pool nook, his-and-her steam baths, and a cork-floored gym. "It's an art nouveau palette in a contemporary context," says Fejér. From spa to passage, the hotel achieves a masterful synergy between its palatial past and its dynamic present.

Opposite: At the Four Seasons Hotel Gresham Palace Budapest, Formanyelv restored the Andrassy vestibule's skylight and pyrogranite-glazed wall tiles, all of which date to 1906. Richmond International added the custom granite console with bronze legs.

Above: The passage's restored glass-and-steel cupola occupies the hotel's central Gresham courtyard. Art nouveau motifs detail the wrought-iron balconies off the 179 guest rooms.

Top: A 21st-century aesthetic dominates the sixth-floor spa, with an elevated 40-foot-long infinity pool, alabaster-clad whirlpool nook, and vacuum-formed cheery-veneer wall panels. Above: The sixth floor was formerly the palace's attic. The perimeter wall slants inward 25 degrees. Wool runners cover the oak parquet floor. Left: Ipé floors the bedroom of the 1,600-square-foot royal suite, featuring Richmond's custom silk-and-wool rug, silk-covered armchair, and lacquer headboard.

Opposite: Hungarian Mamikon Yengibarian's cast-bronze Tumbling Doll is artfully arranged on the passage's marble mosaic floor, its swirling pattern Richmond's abstract interpretation of an art nouveau motif. Marble pillars flank the custom granite-topped reception desk veneered in ebony, beech, and walnut. Formanyelv designed the glass chandelier, which weighs approximately 500 pounds.

Left: The royal suite's salon retains its original ceiling molding, but the cornices are new. Nickel-inlaid lacquer walls surround the chenille-covered sofas, Macassar ebony cocktail table, and limestone fireplace. Above: A wrought-iron door opens to restored stained-glass windows in the Kossuth vestibule. Below: Halogen strip lighting edges the palace's slate roof, part of which had been blown off in World War II. The facade is locally quarried sandstone.

PROJECT TEAM (FORMANYELV): CASE C. CREAL; STACY MCGHEE; JZSEF MEZEL; ADAM H. OMANSKY; MIKLS SOS; GNES WEIDLICH. PROJECT TEAM (RICHMOND): DEBBIE LAWRENCE; GEORGE MEIKLE. RUNNER (HALL): ULSTER CARPETS. RUGS (ROYAL SUITE): RIMO DESIGNS. ARMCHAIR, CONSOLES: WILLIAM SWITZER AND ASSOCIATES; JIM THOMPSON (FABRIC). CHAISE, TABLE, NIGHTSTAND: DAVIDSON. PILLOW FABRIC, DRAPERY: LEE JOFA. CHANDELIER (PASSAGE): PRECOSIA. CUPOLA GLASS: ZSOLNAY. CHANDELIER (ROYAL SUITE): DONGHIA. SOFAS, TABLE: BAKER FURNITURE; SAHCO HESSLEIN (SOFA FABRIC). GLASS: HARAN GLASS; ARUP FACADE ENGINEERING (GLASSWORK). MILLWORK: SZABADOS. HARDWARE: ALLGOOD. STONEWORK: RENESZNSZ. LIGHTING CONSULTANT: PHA LIGHTING DESIGN. ENGINEERS: HIDI RAE CONSULTING ENGINEERS (MECHANICAL); RYBKA SMITH AND GINSLER (ELECTRICAL); WSP GROUP (STRUCTURAL); JOHN SWALLOW ASSOCIATES (ACOUSTICAL). GENERAL CONTRACTOR: CFE HUNGARY.