History
The Officers' Cooperative Building was erected in 1908 to a design by the then just twenty-six-year-old architect Svetozar Jovanović, with the assistance of his collaborators Danilo Vladisavljević and Vladimir Popović. It was conceived as a modern department store with a ground floor and two upper storeys, intended for commerce in what was then the heart of Belgrade.
The building stands at the corner of Masarikova and Resavska streets, in the Savski Venac district, on a spot that remains one of the busier intersections in the city centre to this day. Over its century of existence it has gone through several phases of renovation, one of which was carried out in 1985 and 1986.
The most recent, thorough restoration was completed in late 2023, bringing the building closer to its original splendour, and today it still fulfils a public function in the centre of Belgrade.
Architecture and significance
The building is known for its harmonious blend of styles - Art Nouveau ornamentation interweaves with Classicist proportions, making it one of the finer examples of eclectic architecture in the Belgrade of that era. The façade is adorned with relief female heads, floral motifs, decorative consoles and wrought iron.
Particularly striking is the rounded corner section of the structure, crowned with a dome of unusual shape, while the central part of the façade is distinguished by large glass surfaces typical of the department stores of that period. On account of its value, the building has been declared a cultural monument of great importance and is under the protection of the Institute for the Protection of Cultural Monuments of the City of Belgrade.