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the arcaded palace with a “cour d’honneur”. The renowned cafe
and dance hall “Espresso Taranda” rented space in the building
until 1948 in the reinforced courtyard terrace. Around 1950, the
historical barracks was first renovated to be used to preserve
and present the Slovak National Gallery’s historical collections
(František Florians and Karol Rozmány Sr were responsible for
the design and renovation, 1949–1955).
In the early 1950s, Professor Emil Belluš and his architecture
students at the Slovak Technical University took part in site
selection for a new SNG pavilion or addition. In the 1957–58
academic year, Belluš published his studio’s student projects,
suggesting two locations: the first was a new SNG pavilion
construction at Gottwaldovo námestie (currently Námestie slobody),
with a detached pavilion gallery becoming part of the
new “technical university city” (the new neighbourhood around
technical university buildings); the second was an addition to
the historic Water Barracks, with the new addition expanding
exhibition space for the gallery’s burgeoning collection in the
historic building, and becoming part of the river promenade.
In 1952, Vladimír Dedeček graduated under Emil Belluš’
super vision, specifically with a thesis project on the Výstavný
pavilón SNG (SNG exhibition pavilion) located at a third site:
Kamenné námestie (the former Steinplatz, later Kiev Square)
in Bratislava. After years of working with his students, Belluš
made the following summary in the late 1950s: “[u]rban planning,
architectural, operational and financial studies proved
that the most realistic location for the expanded construction
of the Slovak National Gallery is the current tract on Rázusovo
nábrežie by the Danube, where a purposeful construction of
a face wing can well assure the gallery’s growing needs, as well
as creating an expedient and sufficiently spacious environment
for occasional special exhibits and exhibits of contemporary art.”
(BELLUŠ 1957, pp. 93–94.) This statement is in line with Belluš’ effort to
complete a modernized river area with a new skyline, i.e. his abiding
endeavour to finish a Danube promenade from Harminc’s
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