Lipscani 55

On February 12, 2015, a new Cărturești Bookstore opened its doors to the general public in the building owned by the Chrissoveloni family, in 55 Lipscani Street. The family regained the property only in 2007, after long years of waiting. In 2010, they contacted a prestigious design office specializing in structures to carry out a survey. In 2011, we were invited to make a design tender for the restoration and rehabilitation of the building, in collaboration with Popp and Associates, who were to carry out the structural design for the building's consolidation.

The road this project has traveled, from the first survey to today's result, has been a long one, full of surprises and problems to be solved, both from a technical point of view and in terms of the necessary permits and documents required for the project. The story of this project, interwoven with the history of the building, the history of the Chrissoveloni family and some of the scenes from a site diary are contained in a book that is now being published - FAMILY / LIPSCANI 55. Some of the information from that text is also found in this book.

I would like to say from the outset that the realization of the project as it is today is due, first of all, to the open-mindedness of the owner and his support, and also to the fact that throughout the project, both the design and the execution, the project team was very close-knit from the very beginning. Then, during the development and progress of the project, as the team grew, each new member was welcomed and considered a colleague and friend.

The building is on the 2010 List of Historic Monuments at position 1313, LMI code 2010 B-II-m-B-19040, under the designation "Shop House", dating from the late 19th century. According to the historical survey, the history of the houses in Lipscani Street, the year of their construction, their former functions, as well as the succession of owners and tenants who used them are quite difficult to find out. Many of the houses have over time been demolished and the plots have been rebuilt, so that today most of the old houses on the street date back to the mid-19th century.

The building at number 55 was also built in that period. We don't know the original owner. We found a Building Authorization from 1891 (Authorization No. 140 of July 13, 1891, issued to Mr. Jean Eleutheriade, through Mr. Chiril Elefterescu, 41, Lipscani Street), which states that the building at 41 Lipscani Street will have repairs to the roof and facade, which implies that the building dates back to around 1860. At the beginning of the 20th century, i.e. in 1903, the building became the property of the Chrissoveloni family. On the cadastral plan of 1911 we find the name of N. Chrissoveloni on the plot on which the building is built, then also at number 41.

This was the first headquarters of the Chrissoveloni Credit Society, until the bank's headquarters were built at 17 Lipscani Street. Although the family's official address was at 17 Lipscani Street, here, in building C2, i.e. the building at 15 Blănari Street (formerly 21), were the offices as well as a family residence. This building has not been the subject of any project until now.

In 1937 and the following year, according to the list of telephone subscribers, there was the People's Bazaar at number 55. The store is listed under "Wholesale Manufacturing". A vintage photograph captures the period when the Popular Bazaar was in operation in this building. It shows crowds of people milling among the cars parked along the street. It is known that in 1930 the circulation of cars was forbidden on Lipscani Street. We can conclude that the People's Bazaar started to operate in this place in the late 20s. Probably also from that date, the facade was changed into the form we knew it until recently, with perfectly rectangular shop windows, without facade decorations. In fact, there is a 1938 picture of the street showing the building, on which the "People's Bazaar" business was located, and which conformed to the facade we know from the "Familia" store.

Although the construction is dated from the beginning of the 20th century (1904 on the existing plaque on the building) - House with a shop, from the research carried out in order to carry out the historical study and find the building authorization, it appears that the original building is prior to 1860. At the beginning of the 20th century, the old, existing building was demolished in its entirety, and in its place was built the one existing at the time and which was the subject of our study. We found the 1904 Building Authorization for Nicolae Cuțarida's project long after the historical study was prepared, in 2011. The Chrissoveloni family did not have it either, and at that time, at the National Archives, we did not find it, in our research of the entire period in which the authorization documentation exists between 1860 and 1912. We have found other authorizations for buildings that belonged to the Chrissoveloni family, including the building in Calea Victoriei 162 (1905, arch. Joseph Schiffeleers), as well as documents contained in the Chrissoveloni fonds.

Read the full text in issue 1 / 2015 of Arhitectura Magazine

photo: Alexandru ȘERBAN

LIPSCANI 55

Project management - Front Group: project director Cosmin Coriciuc, eng. Bogdan Măcrineanu, Raluca Nicolaescu;

Architecture - restoration and rehabilitation - Capitel Avangarde srl: project manager arh. Georgeta Gabrea and the team formed by arh. Maria-Cristina Răchitan-Gabrea, arh. Cristina Sîrbu, arh. Ioana Popovici, arh. Claudiu Vârlan, arh. Simona Dimitriu, arh. Cristina Sternatis, arh. Dragoș Milotin, arh. Venera Trișnevschi, technician arh. Simionescu Mihai, stud.-arh. Hamoș Emeric;

Structure - Popp & Asociații: dr. eng. eng. Traian Popp, eng. Mădălin Coman, eng. Nelu Badea, eng. Mihaela Ivănuș (Dumitriu), eng. Irina Radu, eng. Dan Sinu;

Interior installations - designer and contractor Loial srl: coordinating engineer eng. Dăscălescu Iulian;

Constructors: Reton srl, Donau Therm (structure), BTM Proconstruct srl (restoration of ornaments and facade);

Interior fittings - project management: Cristian Mureanu;

Architecture, design: project manager arh. Sabin Dumitriu;

Structure - Popp & Asociații: eng. Irina Radu;

Installations - design and execution - Vest Grup Instal srl: eng. Narcis Fierbințeanu;

Constructor - MCR Construct srl: eng. Cristian Gheorghiu;

Site manager: eng. Dan Constantin Lăcătuș.