The renovation of the building, Szeged?s finest example of art nouveau architecture, will begin at the end of July, said deputy-mayor József Kozma.
The tender to renovate the 3,000-square-metre building is underway, with a winner to be announced soon. The renovation is due to be completed in November 2007, but the first exhibition in the building could open as soon as next summer.
Kozma said the building?s first and second floors would be turned into an exhibition space suitable for hosting national art events. One of the building?s corner rooms will be outfitted with period furnishings, but the basement will be serve as a modern storage space and workshop for restoration artists.
The palace was built in 1907 by the short-lived architect Ede Magyar, who was commissioned by the engineer Iván Reök, a close relative of the famous Hungarian painter Mihály Munkácsy.
