Machoň's passage in Pardubice will close for a year

Pardubice - The Machoň's Passage in Pardubice will close for more than a year due to modernization. Repairs of historically valuable buildings will cost 150 million crowns. The passage will not be accessible starting Monday when construction work begins. The eastern section will also be completed, creating new non-residential spaces and apartments. This was reported to ČTK by the director of the Pardubice City Development Fund, Aleš Kopecký.
    "The construction contractor promised us that the passage will be opened as soon as possible," Kopecký said.
    The repair and completion of the rear section is expected to take 17 months. The building on the northern side, facing Míru Square, underwent renovation a few years ago. There are two non-residential spaces and 11 apartments there.
    Now, the remaining part of the cultural monument is up next. The ground floor will remain non-residential spaces, while the first floor will serve as offices. The apartments on the upper floors will also be modernized. After reconstruction, there will be 36 apartments in the passage, spaces for 17 businesses or shops, and four administrative spaces.
    In the basement under the northern part of the passage, a restaurant with a capacity of about 30 seats is planned. Behind the passage, there will be 78 new parking spaces, 44 of which will be underground. Public restrooms will be created near the underground parking lot. The parking lot at ground level will also include landscaping and park modifications.
    "We want to prepare the residential and non-residential spaces somewhat tailored to the future users so that there won’t be any need for demolishing partitions or other construction modifications right after the passage opens," said Deputy Mayor Martin Bílek (Association for Pardubice).
    Architect Ladislav Machoň was inspired by passages in Paris. The buildings with a glass passage in art deco style were completed in the 1920s. Due to the repairs, the City Development Fund will have to incur debt. Pardubice has dealt with the dilapidated building for at least ten years. There was talk of selling it for some time, but the councilors ultimately rejected this idea.