The Apollo Palace was built between 1820 and 1822 at the initiative of count Teleki Sámuel who at that time held an important position, as chancellor of Transylvania. The count”™s intention to raise a multifunctional building had to do with the newly established library. In 1802 Teleki made his impressive private book collection available to the public. In order to ensure the necessary funds for the maintenance of the library, the count rented the Apollo Palace for commercial activities, as well as for living. The building was initially decorated in the late Baroque style and had only two stories. As the façade was modified in the 20th century, the only remaining Baroque elements are the reinforced vaults with double arcs. The building”™s initial destination, as intended by count Teleki, was kept for about a century. The ground floor was used for commercial activities, the first floor was used as living quarters, and on the second floor there was a large meeting hall, a restaurant and a café. The palace has been the venue of numerous shows and balls. By the 19th century had become a place of reference for mundane events in the city. The building was sold in 1923. The new owner changed the destination of the hall and added one floor of apartments, built between 1925 and 1927. The façade was also remodeled at that time in an eclectic style specific to the early 20th century. Its appearance was significantly enriched.

The passageway on the ground floor has a semi-circular opening which is probably the original one.

The façade is richly decorated. Four pilasters with composite caps cross the façade from the first floor to the cornice underneath the roof. Three vertical panels are thus formed, the lateral ones being identical. The one in the middle distinguishes itself due to the placement of the windows. The three grouped windows are topped by a triangular cornice and lie within a pseudo-niche shaped as a basket”™s handle. In front of these, there is a small terrace decorated with rhomboid geometrical shapes. The same composition, made up of three windows and a triangular gable, can be seen on the roof. Another element worthy of being noted is the frieze made up of small panels with star ornaments interrupted by several socles, each holding an urn. There are several other decorative elements, such as the panels delimiting the floors and the consoles that support the windowsills.

Between 1969 and 1996 the Student”™s Club functioned in the building, while today it is the seat of the Popular Art School.

Bibliography:

Ioan Eugen Man, Tîrgu-Mureș, istorie urbană de la începuturi până în 1850, Tîrgu-Mureș, Ed. Nico, 2006, p.242.