bg Belgrade

Lukа Ćelović House

- Kraljevića Marka 1 -
The two-story building, which was constructed in 1903, was built according to the design of the architect Milos Savčić. It was built as a family house with commercial premises on the first floor and residential premises for Lukа Ćelović. He was born on October 18, 1854, in Pridvorci, a small village close to . He finished his grammar school in Trebinje, , and , and after basic education, he was denied higher education by Turkish authorities. Instead of languishing there, he left Bosnia and Hercegovina in 1872 for Belgrade, where Archimandrite , a family friend, found him a job as an apprentice in the famous store held by Radosavljević & Ignjatijević. Three years later, when the began, Lukа went back to his native Herzegovina as a volunteer soldier. In combat against the Ottomans he was wounded, but soon recovered and continued to fight.
Lukа Ćelović
After the uprising, with the support of his countrymen, and traders from , Lukа started his own business as an independent merchant, selling plums, corn, wheat, and pigs. In 1882 he established the Belgrade Cooperative, and in 1899, he was elected as President of the Board of the Belgrade Cooperative. As a self-taught man, with a hard work ethic, he made the Belgrade Cooperative one of the strongest Serbian financial institutions. He also did a lot to help the weaker members of society, founding the Committee for the Protection of the Blind Girls in Belgrade. In his will, after passing away, he left almost all of his property to the University of Belgrade. Luka Ćelović passed away on August 15, 1929, in Belgrade, at the age of 74.
The building in 1915
The three dormers that are placed on top of the building, which is built in the styles of Academism and Neo-Baroque, are adorned with a pointed , a , and . The two piers that flank each of the dormers are adorned with . The roof is supported by a total of twelve , and the cornice that separates the first from the second floor is embellished with loads of . Much use has been made of to decorate the building, which in some cases are decorated with a , and in some cases are crowned with either a Doric or an Ionic . In addition, cartouches, volutes, and dentils are also used to decorate some pediments, which are placed above some windows. Above some other windows, where the pediments are missing, you can see a keystone surrounded by floral ornamentation. Above the wooden main entrance door, you can admire an containing the years of completion and another cartouche, which contains the initials of the former owner.
An old photo that shows the building