The oldest elevator in Zagreb?

The oldest elevator in Zagreb?

During the WW I an entrepreneur from Zagreb, Radivoj Hafner, a rich provision supplier of the Austro-Hungarian army, bought the palace from the heirs of Dragutin Vranyczany. He refurbished the ground floor with marble plates and introduced an elevator in the central area of the three-flight stairway. The hall and stairway were plated in variegated marble, and new stucco reliefs were provided on the ceilings.

The struck iron and partially gilded elevator fence, ornamented with a monogram RH (Radivoj Hafner) and horse-depictions, was most probably prepared by the Zagreb School of crafts according to the design of Tomislav Krizman.

The art déco stucco reliefs were added on the ground floor, as well as on the 1st and 2nd floors, while the 3rd remained the same. In the courtyard Hafner erected stables provided with mirrors for his finest racehorses (American standardbreds), bred on a horse farm in Kerestinec near Zagreb (modern Kalinovica), while towards the Gajeva street he placed a fence and gates with his initials.