DON Department Store

Originally conceived as a specialized fashion department store, this establishment is located on the corner of Gočárova and Letců Streets in Prague Suburbs. The compact mass encapsulates a block of buildings from the 1930s to the 1950s. The four-storey building seamlessly aligns with the surrounding buildings in both height and mass arrangement. The first to third floors was designated for retail space, while the partially receding fourth floor accommodated facilities (offices, an apprenticeship center, and a garment fitting room). Structurally designed as a steel skeleton with an unusual span of 16.5m (with a structural module of 6.0 × 16.5m in the commercial part and 6.0 × 9.0m in the warehouse part), the main cube of the building, built over the glass ground floor, remains entirely windowless. Its ceramic cladding is designed as a work of art with abstract motifs and the creation of leading Czech ceramic artists Lydia Hladíková, Děvana Mírová, and Marie Rychlíková. They crafted the cladding using large-scale shapes and strips with sculptural details shaped through hand modelling.
 

The project for the so-called DON department store, specializing in clothing and fashion accessories, dates back to 1968 and was realized between 1969 and 1974. The State Project Institute of Commerce Brno served as the general designer, with architect Jan Doležal leading the project. The stated investment costs totaled CZK 25,952,000. Originally offering men’s and women’s fashion, fur products, hats, and fashion accessories, the store adapted its range of goods after 1989. Today, it primarily offers furniture, kitchen and consumer goods, and houses a fitness center.
 

The DON department store is a unique example of a fashion-specialized department store from the late 1960s and early 1970s, representing one of the most valuable documents in the evolution of trade and commercial buildings in then Czechoslovakia. Its significance lies not only in its unique architectural design, but also in its remarkably sensitive urban planning integration into the surrounding built environment (a rather uncommon approach for its time compared to many other commercial buildings in the Czech Republic, which often present challenges in their relationship to the surrounding environment).The building serves as a natural corner landmark along Gočárova Street, contributing to the established image of the city and ranking among the iconic buildings of Hradec Králové.
 

The artistic contribution of the prominent Czech ceramic artists Lydia Hladíková, Děvana Mírová, and Marie Rychlíková, who collaborated in their joint studio on projects for the architecture of the 1960s and 1970s, is crucial. Their notable achievements include gold medals from the EXPO exhibition in Brussels and the International Ceramics Exhibition in Prague, as well as the main prize in the field of fine arts of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic for realization in architecture and industry in 1965. The ceramic cladding of the DON department store stands out as one of their most important realizations, described by architectural historian Petr Klíma as “an example of successful cooperation between architect and artist, where the artwork becomes an integral part of the functional design of the project.“ 

 

LZL