The department store Máj is a significant representative of 1970s architecture

Prague - Selection of information about the Prague department store My, formerly Máj (its owner, Tesco, is now selling it):

- The striking building at the corner of Spálená and Národní streets was built on the site of the neo-Gothic Šlik Palace according to the design by architects Miroslav Masák, John Eisler, and Martin Rajniš from the Liberec studio SIAL, which was founded in 1968 by the author of the Ještěd television tower, Karel Hubáček. It was realized by two Swedish companies - SIAB and ABV Stockholm. The façades of Máj showcase the contrast of the fully glazed escalator hall with the unarticulated freight elevator tower made of exposed concrete. It welcomed its first customers in April 1975.

- According to architectural historian Rostislav Švácha, the building promptly responded to the challenge presented in 1972 by the design of the Paris museum Centre Georges Pompidou by the pioneers of the high-tech style, Renzo Piano and Richard Rogers. In this sense, Máj received attention in foreign architectural magazines - such publicity was rare for any Czech building of the 20th century. In March 2006, Švácha submitted a proposal to declare Máj a cultural monument.

- One of the reasons was also a reaction to the fact that the building's owner (Tesco Stores ČR since 1996) initially planned its demolition and then a large-scale reconstruction. The Ministry of Culture declared Máj a cultural monument in October 2006; it is regarded as a significant example of architecture from the 1970s in the 20th century, also in the European context, connecting to interwar functionalism and foreshadowing the high-tech style in its interior. The final verdict on the monument status was made in January 2007.

- The dispute over the heritage protection of Máj, built from 1972 to 1975, stirred a public discussion about whether not only historical but also significant modern buildings, which people do not yet perceive as monuments, deserve protection, especially those from the era of the previous regime. Thus, the ministry's decision in this matter became a significant precedent. Máj has always evoked emotions; some critics, for example, dislike its aggressiveness towards the surrounding buildings.

- At the same time as Máj, the Kotva department store was built on the other side of the historical center of Prague, which is also now waiting to see if it will be included on the list of monuments. However, the Ještěd department store in Liberec (also by the SIAL studio), a comparable building, was not granted protection and was demolished for new construction. A similar fate now threatens another significant building built during the previous regime, which is the Transgas building on Vinohradská Street in Prague. Last year, the Ministry of Culture refused to declare three buildings constructed in a brutalist style from 1966 to 1976 as monuments.

- During its forty-year existence, the department store changed its name five times. Originally named Prior 02, it soon became Máj. In 1992, the center came under the brand of the American chain K-Mart. Since 1996, it has been owned by Tesco. Initially, the department store operated under this brand, but in 2009 it was renamed to My. At the same time, it underwent a major interior reconstruction. In October 2014, a multifunctional complex named Quadrio, with shops, offices, and apartments, opened in its immediate vicinity above the Národní metro station.