bg Plovdiv

Kovo and Sidi Trade House

- Ulitsa Knyaz Alexander I 11 -
The construction of the commercial building started in 1926 and was completed in 1930 and was commissioned by Yossif Kovo and Sidi. The southern facade was designed by the Bulgarian architect , while the northern facade was built by a design that came from the hand of the Bulgarian architect . The building, also known under the name the Narmag building, housed the provincial post office for some time, which was located on the first floor.
An old photo showing the building
During the restoration and repair of the building, which was carried out by the Austrian entrepreneur Karl Polzhofer and engineer Rudolf Leitner, a rich archaeological part of the of Philippopolis was discovered in the foundations. The overall conceptual concept for the renovation of the Building and the integration of archeology into it is the work of the architect Stefan Stefanov. The project also involves the work of the engineer Rudolph Leitner and the precise construction work is done by the engineer Manyo Manev. The special project for the conservation, restoration, and exposure of archeology in the two basement levels of the building was developed by architect Radka Stefanova with the participation of conservator Professor Valentin Todorov and Maya Martynova-Kyutova is the main archeological researcher.
Part of the Roman Stadium of Philippopolis underneath the building
The roof of the southern facade of the building, which is built in the Neo-Renaissance style, contains a total of five dormers. The central dormer that's crowned with a pointed , features an unusually clover-shaped with the intertwined Cyrillic letters К.С. (K.S.). The cartouche is adorned with and is surrounded by laurel twigs. A strip of and an motif are placed underneath the . The that are placed on the and the cornice that separates the first and second floor, as well as the fragments between the second floor windows, are embellished with .

Above the second floor windows, you'll be able to see a straight pediment, which is supported by . Each of the pilasters contains three garlands that hang down from the medallion, which are decorated with an motif. The building is richly decorated with all sorts of , some of which are decorated with floral ornamentation, but all of them are embellished with in all shapes and sizes.

The northern facade is not in the purest Art Deco style, but there's still a strong emphasis on these elongated forms and lines that run uninterrupted through the entire facade.
The northern facade