Located on the corner of Libertății (Liberty) Square with Alba Iulia Street, the building is known to the inhabitants of Timișoara as 'The House with Atlantes' thanks to the male anthropomorphic basoreliefs that decorate the pilasters of the building.
However, the building itself is older than that, already in existence in the first decade of the 19th century. The entrance is located on the narrow side of the building that opens into the square, and is marked by a stone portal flanked by two Ionic columns that support the sole balcony of the edifice, as well as by two guard stones that are actually two cannons buried muzzle-down into the ground. Local legends claim these are the first Ottoman cannons seized by the Habsburg army when it conquered Timișoara in 1716.
It was built by Toma Naum Makri, a rich merchant from Timisoara, of Aromanian origin. After his death, the building was inherited by his daughter Persida Makri. Over time, the building changed several owners. First, after the death of Persida Makri, it was donated to the Aromanian-Serbian community, then it was owned by the Serbian Orthodox Episcopate in Timisoara. It was nationalized during the communist regime, becoming the property of the Romanian State. After the 1989 Revolution, it was returned to private ownership. The Makri building has recently been rehabilitated, regaining its former splendor.
