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Földes Kelemen House

- Strada Ștefan Cicio Pop 16 -
The construction of the three-story building, which was built on the site of a one-story building that was demolished in 1899, was completed in 1900. The assignment for the design was given to the Serbian architect by the local pharmacist Földes Kelemen, who opened his pharmacy and laboratory on the first floor of the building. He became a licensed pharmacist in 1872, at the age of 28. On April 19, 1873, he received authorization from the City Hall to open a pharmacy, which was named Farmacia Mântuitorul and soon began to focus on beauty products for ladies and young ladies. Toothpaste, soap, and powder were all produced by him and sold in his own pharmacy, and in 1896, he registered his own brand and created the Margit Creme, a face cream named after his daughter, Margit.
An advertisement to advertise Margit Creme
Földes Kelemen's product Margit Cream, brought him fame across the continent and even in America, and it was even presented in the newspapers of the time. The cream had become so well known, thanks to the marketing of his son-in-law, Vilmos Hesch, that the pharmacist had to warn his customers against counterfeit products. The bottles were made of porcelain and covered with a leather cap engraved with the Földes emblem. Földes Kelemen was married to Vojtek Auguszta, with whom he had four children, Janos, Margit, Bela, and Lujza, the latter dying at a young age. Their daughter Margit, whose name was used for the famous cream, was married to Vilmos Hesch, while Bela was the only one who followed in the footsteps of his father, and became a pharmacist as well. He managed his father's pharmacy until the beginning of the .
The interior of the pharmacy
The top of the Art Nouveau building is determined by a dome surrounded by decorative vases, as well as a featuring a of the Greek god that's placed on top of a . The tympanum and the roof cornice are both decorated with loads of . The frieze is lavishly adorned with , shield-shaped ornaments surrounded by oak leaves, and embellished with , which have also often been used elsewhere to embellish the building. The are topped with yet another mascaron, or a garland wreath. Floral ornaments, which include many , are abundantly present to decorate the building. The building also contains three topped with a balcony and another balcony that can be seen on the corner of the building, all of which are secured with an alluring wrought iron railing. The that are used to support the balcony contain a mighty lionhead . The three show the patrons of medicine and pharmacy, , , and .
An old postcast that shows the building