The Grand Shopping Center in Pardubice is undergoing a nearly two-year reconstruction
Pardubice - The Grand Shopping Center in Pardubice is set for renovation. The functionalist building from 1931 was designed by Josef Gočár. The investor will close the building at the end of the year and will reopen it in September 2025 after modernization. The plan was presented to journalists today by Ondřej Heřman, the director of the Pardubice branch of the Prague Property Management (PSN).
The protected palace with a blue facade was formerly a hotel and the seat of the district office, and it served as a center of social events thanks to its café, restaurant, and wine bar. It is located on Míru Square, the longest shopping zone in the center of Pardubice. Before the change in ownership, it was owned by the state enterprise Restaurants and Canteens, and then it belonged to the city. Since 1996, the building has been owned by PSN, which transformed the deteriorating building into a shopping center within three years.
The shopping center, which saw the addition of the first multiplex cinema in Pardubice in 2006, was, according to Heřman, the only economically viable model, although it faced public criticism. "I also had a relationship with Grand; I used to go there to dance," Heřman added. The opening in 1999 was grand, and people eventually welcomed the new shopping center.
PSN then sold Grand at the turn of 2007 and 2008, and the building began to decline; for example, there was a chaotic market on the ground floor. In 2008, competition emerged in the form of a larger shopping center at Masaryk Square.
Heřman and his colleagues were dissatisfied with the fact that Grand was deserted, and many shops were unsuccessfully seeking tenants. Therefore, PSN repurchased Grand in 2019. "We went into this with the vision of a new Grand. I would be really happy if Grand could once again become a place where people enjoy going. It used to be that way until 2008," Heřman said.
Heřman is not worried about competition from Palace Pardubice and the large Pernerka complex, which is set to be built near the train station. Both centers have thousands of square meters of retail space, while Grand is relatively small. "We're talking about a different product, a different matter; Grand is something intimate, pleasant," Heřman said.
An important part of the investment is a parking structure to be built next to the shopping center. Its façade will be covered with living plants. It will have a capacity of 269 spaces. One floor will be purchased by the Pardubice Region for the needs of the conservatory and House of Music. The building is scheduled for completion in the autumn of 2024. Currently, there are not many parking spaces available in the city center.
"We needed the parking structure so we could tell people to come to Grand. The marketing study indicated that the lack of parking spaces was the biggest shortcoming for people," Heřman said.
At Grand, 29 rental units will be created on the first and second floors with a sales area of 3,500 square meters. The new facilities with more modern equipment will be provided by the Cinestar cinema. Grand will feature a new food hall, a new food zone. On the third floor, in a glass vault, there will be a coworking space, i.e., shared office spaces for rent. During the renovation, the pharmacy, the Potrefená Husa restaurant, and the Terranova store in the Kraus House will remain open.
"We are trying to breathe new life into the spaces; one built-in floor will be removed, which will bring the interior character closer to the generous state of the 1930s. Another significant addition will be a new glass hall that will serve as the entrance from Míru Square to the department store," said architect Jiří Opočenský, who prepared the design with colleagues. According to the architect, the ground floor will be airier, clearer, and easier to navigate.
The protected palace with a blue facade was formerly a hotel and the seat of the district office, and it served as a center of social events thanks to its café, restaurant, and wine bar. It is located on Míru Square, the longest shopping zone in the center of Pardubice. Before the change in ownership, it was owned by the state enterprise Restaurants and Canteens, and then it belonged to the city. Since 1996, the building has been owned by PSN, which transformed the deteriorating building into a shopping center within three years.
The shopping center, which saw the addition of the first multiplex cinema in Pardubice in 2006, was, according to Heřman, the only economically viable model, although it faced public criticism. "I also had a relationship with Grand; I used to go there to dance," Heřman added. The opening in 1999 was grand, and people eventually welcomed the new shopping center.
PSN then sold Grand at the turn of 2007 and 2008, and the building began to decline; for example, there was a chaotic market on the ground floor. In 2008, competition emerged in the form of a larger shopping center at Masaryk Square.
Heřman and his colleagues were dissatisfied with the fact that Grand was deserted, and many shops were unsuccessfully seeking tenants. Therefore, PSN repurchased Grand in 2019. "We went into this with the vision of a new Grand. I would be really happy if Grand could once again become a place where people enjoy going. It used to be that way until 2008," Heřman said.
Heřman is not worried about competition from Palace Pardubice and the large Pernerka complex, which is set to be built near the train station. Both centers have thousands of square meters of retail space, while Grand is relatively small. "We're talking about a different product, a different matter; Grand is something intimate, pleasant," Heřman said.
An important part of the investment is a parking structure to be built next to the shopping center. Its façade will be covered with living plants. It will have a capacity of 269 spaces. One floor will be purchased by the Pardubice Region for the needs of the conservatory and House of Music. The building is scheduled for completion in the autumn of 2024. Currently, there are not many parking spaces available in the city center.
"We needed the parking structure so we could tell people to come to Grand. The marketing study indicated that the lack of parking spaces was the biggest shortcoming for people," Heřman said.
At Grand, 29 rental units will be created on the first and second floors with a sales area of 3,500 square meters. The new facilities with more modern equipment will be provided by the Cinestar cinema. Grand will feature a new food hall, a new food zone. On the third floor, in a glass vault, there will be a coworking space, i.e., shared office spaces for rent. During the renovation, the pharmacy, the Potrefená Husa restaurant, and the Terranova store in the Kraus House will remain open.
"We are trying to breathe new life into the spaces; one built-in floor will be removed, which will bring the interior character closer to the generous state of the 1930s. Another significant addition will be a new glass hall that will serve as the entrance from Míru Square to the department store," said architect Jiří Opočenský, who prepared the design with colleagues. According to the architect, the ground floor will be airier, clearer, and easier to navigate.
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