Might this be the prettiest bank headquarters ever? The Parisi Udvar, or Paris Court, in Budapest, was originally built between 1909-1912 to the designs of Henrik Schmahl as the headquarters of the Metropolitan Savings Bank (Belvárosi Takarékpénztar). The ground floor, seen here, was formerly lined with shops and served as a shopping gallery. It is the only early 20th century shopping gallery remaining in Budapest. The current Parisi Udvar replaced a previous shopping gallery on the site built in 1817 by Baron Józef Brudern. Brudern's gallery was said to be inspired by the Passage des Panoramas in Paris, giving rise to the name "Párisi-ház," or Paris House. Brudern's gallery was partially demolished over the decades due to major urban planning schemes in the late 19th century, and the site was eventually purchased by the Metropolitan Savings Bank. The bank built its new headquarters there, keeping the reference to Paris in the name of the new shopping gallery on the ground floor, with the two floors above serving as bank offices and the upper floors serving as rental apartments. The building eventually fell into disrepair and abandonment after suffering numerous unsympathetic renovations which destroyed much of the original interior decoration. It was finally sold in 2014 to hospitality group Mellow Mood Hotels, which restored the building's original turn of the century interiors and reopened it in 2019 as a 5-star hotel managed by Hyatt. #hotel #parisiudvar #budapest #hungary - @1kevinmu