Beograđanka, High-rise building in Savski Venac, Belgrade, Serbia.
Beograđanka is a 24-story high-rise in Savski Venac with a trapezoidal shape clad in dark aluminum and glass that stands out in Belgrade's urban landscape. The structure rises to about 101 meters and functions as a mixed-use building combining office and commercial spaces within the city center.
The site held Jeremija Milivojević's one-floor Academicist corner house from 1890 until its demolition in the mid-1960s; a pre-war high-rise planned by Grigorije Samojlov for the Teokarević family was never built. Mayor Branko Pešić laid the charter on 29 March 1969, and the building opened on 22 April 1974, designed by architect Branko Pešić of Zemun, his namesake. Ten strong water springs found during foundation digging were channeled into the city sewage system, and some 20,000 workers of all kinds took part over five years.
The nickname "Belgrade Lady" comes from the building's official name, Belgrade Palace. On the sixth floor, the disco Šestica operated in the 1980s; it lasted only three years but drew crowds for its view over the city, being the only Belgrade club of the time not housed in a basement or converted utility room.
The tower stands at the corner of Kralja Milana, Resavska and Masarikova Streets, near the Savski Venac, Vračar and Stari Grad boundary; Pioneers Park, Manjež and Park Gavrilo Princip are within walking distance. The city has announced plans to clean the façade and renovate the interior, and to reopen the top-floor restaurant, but no completion date is given. The supermarket Merkator Premium occupies the underground level.
The dark façade was chosen over a lighter option because the darker material was of higher quality, a decision that was not universally welcomed at the time. Critics compared the building to the monolith in 2001: A Space Odyssey or a tombstone, and Belgraders nicknamed it "Black Widow".
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