The Grand shopping center in Pardubice will also have a glass atrium

Pardubice - In the Grand shopping center in Pardubice, which has been closed since the end of last year for modernization, the construction company is carrying out demolition work. By autumn, for example, a new glass atrium will be created. This was stated by Lukáš Skokan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Marhold company. The building, constructed in 1931, is the work of architect Josef Gočár and has previously served as a hotel and a community center.

The construction company has been working on the transformation of the department store since January. Inside the department store, shops and dividing walls have already been removed. Workers are now primarily engaged in demolition, erecting scaffolding, working on the relocation of connections, reinforcing concrete structures, and installing steel structures.

"Extensive interior modifications are currently taking place in the Grand. Next month, we will begin placing new equipment on the roof with a large crane, and in May, a steel structure will be erected above the atrium leading to Míru Street. This will form the basis for a new glass roof over this space," said Skokan.

The glass roof over the new atrium will be completed by autumn. The company will be placing air conditioning equipment on the roof of the building. "In mid-March, we will place a second, stable crane on the roof with a large wheeled crane. This will then be used throughout the reconstruction as an assembly tool and primarily for the installation of the aforementioned air conditioning equipment," Skokan stated.

The listed Grand, with its blue cladding on the facade, was previously a hotel, the seat of the district office, and thanks to its café, restaurant, and wine bar, it was also a center of social events. It is located on Míru Street, the longest shopping zone in the center of Pardubice. Before the change of regime, it was owned by the state enterprise Restaurants and Canteens, and then it belonged to the city.

Grand is owned by the Prague Property Administration, which decided to modernize it. The company owned it from 1996 to 2008. It was then purchased by another company and began to decline. PNS repurchased it in 2019. After modernization, Grand is expected to reopen in September 2025.

There will be 29 rental units on the first and second floors. A new food zone will be created, adjacent to which will be two separate terraces. A coworking space and a summer terrace are planned for the third floor. The supermarket will continue to operate in the basement. The cinema Cinestar will offer new facilities with modern equipment.