János Spáda (also known as John Spada, December 10, 1877, Kolozs – July 7, 1913, Kolozsvár) was a famous Hungarian architect of

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...

descent, the grandfather of Hungarian mathematician from

Transylvania Transylvania ( or ; ; or ; Transylvanian Saxon dialect, Transylvanian Saxon: ''Siweberjen'') is a List of historical regions of Central Europe, historical and cultural region in Central Europe, encompassing central Romania. To the east and ...

Béla Orbán and fencer, mathematician and physics professor László Orbán.Orbán B, 2009

Life

Born in Kolozs,

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

(today

Cojocna Cojocna (; ) is a commune in Cluj County, Transylvania, Romania. It is composed of eight villages: Boj-Cătun (''Bósi alagút''), Boju (''Kolozsbós''), Cara (''Kolozskara''), Cojocna, Huci (''Cserealja''), Iuriu de Câmpie (''Mezőőr''), Morișt ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

), on the estate of his

father, Domokos Spáda. Around the beginning of the 20th century, he opened an architecture office on the main square of Kolozsvár (today

Cluj-Napoca Cluj-Napoca ( ; ), or simply Cluj ( , ), is a city in northwestern Romania. It is the second-most populous city in the country and the seat of Cluj County. Geographically, it is roughly equidistant from Bucharest (), Budapest () and Belgrade ( ...

) where he undertook a diverse variety of activities. He implemented a number of well known buildings in Kolozsvár. He built a two-storey rental building for his own use, which was referred to as the "Spáda-palace". He also plotted and built houses near the top of the Erzsébet St. He built the house at 51. Erzsébet St. for himself and his family. He died young, in 1913 as a result of a lung infection. He was survived by his three children. Many of his works were finished by his good friend, Mihály Rátz. Mihály Rátz married Spáda's widower after he came back from the front in 1918, and lived together until her death in 1952. Spáda also contributed to social life. He was member of the municipal committee, Kolozsvár Chamber of Commerce, Industry Board, Artisan's Guilds, and the Caucus of the Roman Catholic Parish. At one time, he was president of the Artisan's Guild. He now lies in the Házsongárd cemetery among other family members.

Famous buildings

* Designed by Felner and Helmer, executed by János Spáda, the National Theatre (1904 - 1906) * Designed by Jenő Hübner, implemented by János Spáda, the

Marianum The ''Marianum'' is a pontifical institute in Rome, Italy founded by Gabriel Roschini for the study of Mariology. History Background The name ''Marianum'' itself goes back to Pope Boniface IX, who in 1398 granted the Servites the right to c ...

in Cluj (1911) * Based on

Károly Kós Károly Kós (, born Károly Kosch; 16 December 1883 – 25 August 1977) was a Hungarian architect, writer, illustrator, ethnologist and politician of Austria-Hungary and Romania. Biography Born as Károly Kosch in Temesvár, Austria-Hun ...

designs, the Monostor Reformed Church * The Roman Catholic High-school in

Székelyudvarhely Odorheiu Secuiesc (; , ; ) is the second largest municipiu, municipality in Harghita County, Transylvania, Romania. In its short form, it is also known as ''Odorhei'' in Romanian and ''Udvarhely'' in Hungarian. The Hungarian name of the town "Udva ...

Notes

References

*Orbán, Béla (2009). Régi kolozsvári építőmesterek: Spáda János és Rátz Mihály. Szabadság (in Hungarian)
Online access
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spada, Janos 1877 births 1913 deaths People from Cluj County Hungarian architects Hungarian people of Italian descent