History

The house was built in 1884 for the Industrial Association of Kolozsvár, based on the plans of the architect Maetz Frigyes from Kolozsvár. Its predecessor, the Industrial Readers' Association, was founded in 1860 with the aim of providing a place of entertainment and newspaper reading for the industrial class. In 1922, after the Romanian occupation, the Hungarian Party was founded here under the presidency of Baron Jósika Sámuel. The eight sculptures on the facade of the building, in the niches, were made by local sculptors Bertha Mihály and Klösz József. The four full-length sculptures decorating the attic represent the ancient gods of Industry (Hephaestus), Commerce (Hermes), Art (Apollo) and Science (Athena).