Palata Ministarstva pravde i Uprave kvarta Terazijskog - ostvarenje arhitekata Svetozara Ivačkovića i Jovana Subotića

Abstract

U članku se aktualizuju istorijske, urbanističke i arhitektonske osobenosti znamenite terazijske palate Ministarstva pravde i Uprave kvarta Terazijskog. Sagrađena krajem XIX veka, ona simboliše prosperitetan period utemeljenja ustanova srpske državne uprave. Nakon osvrta na ličnosti autora, arhitekata Svetozara Ivačkovića i Jovana Subotića, u radu se tumače pitanja njene stilistike i modelistike. U napomenama su navedeni svi relevantni istorijski i istoriografski izvori.

Building of the Ministry of Justice of the Kingdom of Serbia and Headquarters of the Terazije Precinct was constructed in the 1882 and 1883 according to the design of architects Svetozar Ivačković and Jovan Subotić. This double-purpose building stands out among the administrative buildings in the Serbian capital according to its architectural and cultural/historical significance. It is one of the first representative public structures constructed in the Kingdom of Serbia and one of a few preserved ones from the prosperous period of development of the Serbian state administration. The building was constructed at the location of "Pravitelstvena kuća kvarta Terazijskog" mentioned in the register of the building lots from 1862. The building of the Ministry of Justice and Headquarters of the Terazije Precinct, initially built as larger and more representative than the neighboring structures of commercial character with which it had touching gable walls in a block lost its dominant architectural-urbanistic significance in the very center of the Serbian capital after the construction of the Court, House of Public Representatives and Smederevo Bank. The edifice of Ivačković and Subotić has rectangular ground plan, which with the integrated courtyard wing resembles the Latin letter L. The arrangement of rooms is identical on the ground floor and on the first floor. The entrance is located from the pedestrian passage to the right, whence via the single staircase is reached the corridor connecting the rooms. Special attention was paid to the main offices on the first floor. Their walls were covered with oak panels up to 2.60 m from the floor. The ceilings had stucco decoration while the staircase leading to the first floor was made of red marble. The auxiliary rooms were of more modest trimming. In all the rooms floors were covered with parquet strips while in the corridors were used clinker tiles. The façade wall facing the street was twenty-four meters wide while the length of the building towards the courtyard (without structures in the courtyard) was around ten meters. The building was constructed using bricks laid in lime mortar with walls bridged by the architrave wooden structure. The building consists of basement, ground floor, first floor and garret. Following the established methodology of academism the lean-to roof covered with sheet metal was barely discernible and hidden. The façade wall, which also has the load-bearing function was covered with multicolored ceramic clinker tiles. Despite its relatively modest size this building draws attention because of its refined, balanced composition of the façade and chromatic and light-dark contrasts of the architectural sculpture. The ratio between the width and height of the façade is 3: 2 (24: 16 m) as is also the case on most buildings in Belgrade created in the style of academism and incorporated within the block structure. The ground floor was decorated in a rustic manner (bossage) and ashlars in the horizontal and radial position surround symmetrically arranged semicircular, not particularly prominent apertures. The middle section, differentiated by five window axes and having larger height and surface than the ground floor is emphasized by double window under shared tympanum and effective cover of red and yellowish ceramic tiles. Composition of the middle zone finished with unremarkable flat-modeled string of block-consoles and the frieze of decorative festoons between effectively arranged small garret windows is completed by the attic with stylized balustrade. The division of the attic in five segments repeats the identical division of the middle and ground part based on the window axes. The fact that attic extends above the entire façade speaks about the determination of the client to demonstrate on this example the economic progress of the state especially if we know that complete attics were rarely constructed in Serbia before 1900. The courtyard façades of the Terazije building were simple and undecorated without distinctive stylistic characteristics.