70 years ago, architect Antonín Pfeiffer passed away

Prague - Architect and designer Antonín Pfeiffer, who died on September 27, 1938, at the age of 59, is credited with the appearance of one of the most lucrative and vibrant corners of Prague - the Art Nouveau Koruna Palace on Wenceslas Square. The construction of this luxurious corporate headquarters, which was built between 1912 and 1914, was commissioned by the First Czech General Insurance Company, later known as Koruna.
Pfeiffer designed an opulent five-story reinforced concrete palace with a tower-like corner, topped with a stylized crown and sculptures. Its ground floor featured a glass-paneled angular passage with exits to the square and the street. Interestingly, in the competition for this building, Pfeiffer outperformed even his mentor, the renowned architect Jan Kotěra. Unfortunately, nothing remains of its original use - among other things, it housed a spa with an octagonal swimming pool, a cubist cinema, and a famous vending dining hall. Antonín Pfeiffer also designed the interior of the Prague Hotel Paris and participated in the construction of the Jan Hus Memorial in the Old Town Square.