Commercial School and Dormitory, Sepsiszentgyörgy

This multi-storey, L-shaped school building—one of the most significant commissions of Kós Károly’s later career—was intended to stand on a corner plot in the town. In formal terms, the design—somewhat simplified—recalls the architect’s earlier plans from the surrounding region. The tower and the dominant roof forms, as well as the use of rubble stone masonry, evoke his earlier buildings, although the vertical windows running the full height of the tower and the reinforced-concrete columns of the entrance porch, together with the small flat roof, are more characteristic of his works from the 1930s. A striking feature of the design is the extent of the use of rubble stone: the corner section of the building—including the projecting gable—would have been constructed entirely of stone. Previously, such an extensive application of rubble stone could be seen in the unbuilt façade design for the town hall of Sepsiszentgyörgy (1919).

Around this time, he also designed a family house for Kabay Gábor, with whom he corresponded in connection with the Cooperative School. This correspondence offers insight into the “new” world that emerged after the Second World War:

“My dear good younger brother Gábor,

For two good weeks now I have been immersed up to my neck in the design work for the cooperative school. The commission itself would not be a major problem, as the site is very suitable; the difficulty lies solely in the fact that the boarding school requires far more capacity than one would imagine before actually calculating and drawing it. This means not only that all school functions (classrooms, teachers’ rooms, and administrative spaces) are accommodated on a single level, the ground floor—which in itself is not a problem—but also that the floor above it and the mansard are entirely occupied by the boarding school. In other words, the boarding school requires twice as much space as the entire school. I experimented with the most varied solutions in order to use the area as economically as possible (since every square meter of built area costs money). I tightened the spaces here and there—corridors, entrance halls—but in vain: 200 beds have to be accommodated, which is a lot, and of course the rooms also need air, and bunk beds must not be used in a modern boarding school. Well, you will see when you receive the sketches. I am finished in pencil; only the inking and duplication remain, which I will complete in a few days. In the meantime I will also prepare a small cost calculation—which already frightens me in advance, because unit prices are high nowadays, and there are standard unit prices set by the state that cannot be altered, nor do they vary by region. Today there is no cheaper timber in Háromszék, nor cheaper labor in Szentgyörgy, as there once was. But we shall see about that as well. I also have to prepare a technical description in which I justify and explain everything. I would like my old acquaintances and friends not to be disappointed in me—or at least not too disappointed. And as the sketch took shape step by step, I believe it has become quite contemporary. I carefully studied a number of very recent buildings and designs, and tried to apply the lessons learned from them. This task was a great pleasure for me, because I had to solve problems that are necessary, timely, and useful. In short: thank you for giving me the opportunity to do this work, which for many reasons was a remedy for me and a consolation, a calming influence, and even an encouragement. I regret that I could not finish it by the New Year to the extent that I could have sent it as a New Year’s greeting, but it was physically impossible to complete it, as the solution was not an easy one; after many attempts and much searching I finally found the thread that seems—more or less—satisfactory. Which does not mean that an even more appropriate solution might not be found if there were time for further experimentation. But if it should come to actual construction, there will still be time for that. On the whole, there cannot be many changes anyway, since the programmatic requirements must be fulfilled; only the grouping can vary, within tight limits. As you can see, I can think of nothing else. Apart from the semester examinations that lie ahead of me, my mind is occupied solely with this. Thank you for your letter and for every line and sentence of it. I feel that you have deeply understood my state of mind and the bitterness that I have had—and still have—to digest. But everything passes. The wounds remain, but their pain eases with time, and the bleeding stops. And everything goes on along the path that the laws of nature have immutably prescribed for the living world. And in this world the human individual, with his tiny, fleeting little life, counts for very little. We spent the Christmas holidays happily in the circle of the family. There was no trouble, only a beautiful, peaceful, truly warm celebration of love. And today, on the last day of the year, I do not wish to look back on this very painful year for me, but forward, toward the new one that we enter tomorrow. I want to believe, to hope, and to trust that we—people who live by work, who build, think, and love the living, working world—will step forward and upward in the new year. And I also want to believe in peace, and in sensible people who cannot wish for killing and destruction. Perhaps this too will come to pass! With affection and friendship, I wish all of you a happy New Year: health, peace, work, and contentment.”

Károly Kós

(Letter from Kós Károly to Kabay Gábor, 31 December 1950. In: Péter Sas (ed.), The Correspondence of Károly Kós, Mundus Hungarian University Press, Budapest, 2003, pp. 448–449.)