Erected in 1978 where the center of the old town used be, Banka Popullore [People’s Bank] designed by Milan Tomić, Milan Pavlović and Svetla Putić was a statement of new and prosperous times. Modernist in style, its transparent glass facade with horizontal khaki lines drew inspiration from western banking districts. The plateau around it, open to pedestrians, connected the building with Parliament, Central Post Office and the Institution for Social Security. Because of the suspicion that the Central Post Office was serving as a Serbian military base, the building was bombed during the NATO intervention of 1999 and, consequently, the surrounding buildings were severely damaged including Banka Popullore. Afterwards, the building underwent serious transformations and the plateau was closed to pedestrians. Today, the former bank serves as the main government building.