Nicolae Nenciulescu (1879-1973)
Nicolae Nenciulescu was born on September 6, 1879, in Bucharest, the son of a court clerk. Between 1887 and 1910 he attended the St. Sava High School in Bucharest and then the National Higher School of Fine Arts in Paris, graduating in 1910. In 1912, after completing his military service, he joined the Ministry of War as an architect class II (by competitive examination), from April 1, 1912 until November 30, 1912, when he was transferred to the Ministry of Agriculture and Domains as chief architect of the Architectural Service, where he worked until 1947.
In November, 1928, he was appointed substitute and three years later Professor at the Chair of Sterotonomy and Shadow Theory. In 1938 he was appointed to the Chair of General Architecture, in the post left vacant after the death of Professor Nicolae Ghica Budești, where he taught until October 1946. In 1942 he was awarded the title of Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Architecture.
Between 1948-1953 he was employed at the Institute for the Design of Constructions in Bucharest (IPC), dealing with the problems of technical-economic indexes, then he was head of the Technical Section at ISPROR.
He was a member of the Higher Technical Council of the Ministry of Public Works, of the Systematization Commission of the country's cities, of the Commission for the restoration of the Royal Palace and also the architect in charge of these works, between 1928-1949.
Over the years he was decorated with the distinctions of Coroana României and Steaua României in the rank of officer, and was also an officer of the French Public Instruction and an officer of the French Legion of Honor.
Among the main works, realized and not realized, we list: The Royal Palace (1928-1949)1, Maritime Sanatorium No. 1 - hot mud baths in the Eforie resort, the Warehouses and Export Slaughterhouse in Constanța (1933-1936), the project for the development of the market in front of the Royal Palace2, the master plan with the required modifications for the Army Arsenal in Dealul Spirii, the plans for the extension of the Ministry of Agriculture and Domains designed between 1923-1925 (not realized).
In Bucharest, the architect Nenciulescu is the author of the buildings in: 26 Gen. Eremia Grigorescu Street, 8-10 Ionel Perlea Street, 12A Sfântul Constantin Street, 44 Radu de la Afumați Street, 1 I. L. Caragiale entrance, 8 Gina Patrichi Street, 8 G. Gh. Cantacuzino 6 (his residence).
In the course of his professional activity he designed several buildings: the Generala block, 100, Calea Victoriei, realized in collaboration with arch. Gh. Negoescu, the building in Bd. Carol I, nr. 90, as well as dwellings for workers, engineers, administrative staff, stables, stables, sheds in Splaiul Independenței3, Bucharest, realized for the Ministry of Domains and Agriculture, in Zlatna, jud. Alba, in the commune of Certejul de Sus, jud. Hunedoara, realized for Societatea Minele de Aur, in 1942.
It seems that the archives of the architect Nicolae Nenciulescu have not been preserved. He recalls that: "Having had to leave my house in Bucharest, 6 Alexandru Sahia Street, and to live for 14 years with my wife in a house without a stove and with two interior walls of planks, storing my belongings in a garage on the outskirts, I lost a large part of the archive and I have no possibility of more appropriate documentation"4. Perhaps his sketches "of architecture, drawn up for the Institute for the Design of Constructions in Bucharest (IPC) between 1948-1952, with a view to compiling a documentary work on ancient art through images"5 have survived.
*Album of Sketches - Projects and Executed Buildings. The report drawn up by the architect in 1965, kept at the Prints Cabinet of the Romanian Academy Library, also contains 23 photographs of projects, sketches, models and buildings realized by him. This manuscript is the architect's response to the questionnaire conducted by the Institute of Art History in order to obtain information, documentary material and to identify the currents in Romanian architecture (request no. 1125, dated September 4, 1965).
Notes:
1. The project for the restoration of the Royal Palace received the First Prize at the Salon of Architecture and Decorative Art in 1930.
2. The project was realized in collaboration with the architect Nicolae Lupu. The plan and scale model for the square in front of the Royal Palace were exhibited at the Salonul Tinerimii Artistice in 1942.
3. Project realized with the architects Alexandru Iosif and Gheorghe Lungu, between 1937-1940. Nicolae Lupu, Nicolae Gr. Nenciulescu, Arhitectura, an XXIII, nr. 1 (152), 1975, p. 49-55.
4. Nicolae Nenciulescu, Album de Schițe - Proiecte și Clădiri Executate, tab 10.
5. Nicolae Nenciulescu, Album de Schițe - Proiecte și Clădiri Executate, tab 2.
UAUIM Online Surveys Archive
This archive contains the digital copies of the surveys realized by students of the University of Architecture and Urbanism "Ion Mincu", Bucharest
Among the building surveys realized by Nicolae Nenciulescu we present the building of the former Spanish Legation, designed in 1927, located in Orlando 6, today's Gina Patrichi 8.
The authors are the stud. arh. Ileana Frățeanu, stud. arh. Radu Florian and stud. arh. Călin Popa, in
June-July 1974.