Pro_Do_Mo

Following a mention by Serban Cantacuzino regarding high rise developments in the Armenian Quarter I took a walk, starting from Piata Alba Iulia up B-dul Unirii (to take in the communist “show-piece” architecture), turning north into the old town, back west along Calea Calarasilor, to Lipscani in the historic centre (East side), looping up around the Biserica Coltei, then north-east along Coltei and Sfintilor to the Armenian Cathedral on B-dul Carol l, crossing and continuing along Spatarului, then turning back west along Popa Petre and Maria Rosetti and finally north up I.L. Caragiale to Gradina Icoanei.

The route from Biserica Coltei to Icoanei is recommended in a new Yellow book as an interesting tourist journey through “Old Bucharest”. It certainly was, for a lot of worrying reasons!

Piata Alba Iulia (second below) and walking up Blvd Unirii towards the Peoples' Palace, the communist show piece developments; (pics 1-3) present their own distinct architectural style.

Blvd Unirii is a 100M or so wide strip, crossed by roads which go nowhere. Up these roads, where the bulldozers stopped, old Bucharest with its distinctive old properties and gardens survives, made all the more extraordinary by the proximity of the contrasting styles (pics 4-5).

French 2^nd Empire single storey houses (below), meandering streets with little trees providing shade on a hot afternoon display a fascinating combination of building styles.

A corner house on Calea Calarasilor is a wonderful example of Art Nouveau influence (neo-Romanian style, n.r) first below.

But c.100 meters on, in F C. Robescu, a single 15 storey block is being built. It towers over everything around it, its hard surfaces contrasting against the intricate designs of the little houses (7).

Walking west to the east end of the historic Lipscani district just before the arterial Blvd I.C Bratianu there is a maze of small streets of merchants houses and little squares. But these are now completely in the shadow of a massive new commercial development being built (first below - 8).

On the west side of the main road, even the 6 storey communist block has a less austere effect on the old 3 storey houses opposite.

Doubling back into the Armenian area, there is a delightful house in the area behind Biserica Coltei (11).

But in Calea Armeneasca, its Armenian red-roofed merchants houses face another c. 20 story office building on Blvd Carol l (13-15).

The worst example of planning vandalism must be the 18 storey office tower which actually abuts the Armenian Cathedral museum (14,15,16,17). Trees along the boulevard prevent the taking of photos to give justice to the violation of this important church’s space (the first church was started here in 1581).

The first photo is from the yard of the church, the right hand photo shows the office block built against the museum wall!

North of Blvd Carol l, along Spatarului is another area of period, individualistic single storey houses, (18-20) (the Theodor Pallady Museum is also in this street).

But at the end of this road, on Popa Petre, a block of flats is being built (20-23), No 27 (next to the 19^th century Scoala Speciala). It dwarfs the surrounding dwellings in mass as well as height.

At No 5 a plot has been razed ready for another 6 storey building for Agrimobilare SRL (Timisoara) by SC Euroconstruct SA Construction, authorization 332/49P dated 02-04-08 (Sector 2).  The computer generated montage shows a rectangular block with c 6-7 storeys with black glass façades.

Pics 25-28 below show nearby blocks already built, and their effect.

There are the occasional attempts to reflect the scale and lines of the street, but in the case above the geometry and material finishes make for a disaster.

Further down Calea Maria Rosetti on the junction with I.L. Caragiale there is another Art-Nouveau style (neo-Romanian, n.r)  corner building.

But opposite it, No 38 Maria Rosetti, a pretty C19 cottage, waits derelict with an empty site behind it, for a development (30-32).

Pics 33 and 34 (below) show that the positioning of a high rise building does not just detract from the old building in front but destroys the 19^th century planned view down this street.

Pics 35, 36, 37 and 38 show further examples of lone high rise buildings and the effect on their immediate environment.

Worth saving…                                   or not?

Mark Pittaway este un om de afaceri. Lucreaza si locuieste la Londra, in Marea Britanie.

< Prev