Ion Voicu Entr., no. 4

Other Bucharest, Bucharest, Romania

The property is part of the famous Ioanid urban lotting, named after the bookseller and publisher who, in 1856, bought and drained a swampy land known in the city as Breslea Garden, from the great aga Docci Babeanu. The garden is also mentioned in the novel 'Ciocoii vechi si noi'. The land became a park afterwards and went through modern urban planning works in 1909-1910 to soon emerge as the center of a neighborhood of elegant villas belonging to the elite of the time. The western character of French parks and English squares is easily seen, as the model followed was Monceau Park from Paris. Of course, the interiour of the houses also followed the typical western style, the halls being dedicated to musical, literary and artistic events. The eclectic architecture with French influences in the area is also preserved in the appearance of the villa at no. 4, designed by Ernest Doneaud. The architect is a French born, naturalized in Romania, graduate of the École des Beaux-Arts in Paris. He signed the plans of some of the most beautiful buildings in Bucharest. The facade is structured on three vertical lines formed by the alignment of the window openings. On the ground floor, first floor and attic, they are placed one above the other: the large round one in the style of a basket handle on the ground floor extends its decorative elements of the anchorage to below the balcony of the straight from the first floor, their wealth supporting it and the wrought iron balustrade that outlines a coat of arms in the center. The attic window, generous in surface, is topped by a light pediment with medallion, and Renaissance decorative elements perfectly integrated between the denticles under the roof. Seen from afar, from the street, the building is reminiscent of a chic Parisian residence with its tin roof and elegant attic. The fence takes elements of the facade in cement and wrought iron and together with the wooden shutters completes the chapter of distinction. Two apartments are offered for sale: the one located on the 1st floor, with an interiour area of ??221 sq m and a total area of ??243 sqm, and the attic, with an interiour area of ??195 sqm and a total area of ??213 sqm. The villa's first owner was Aspasia Danescu, who built a house on a plot of land bought from Carlo della Torre. The Cre?u family acquired the property in the interwar period. One of their daughters, Mrs. Madeleine Voicu, will later become the wife of the musician Ion Voicu, both owners of the house at the time. In 2003, a statue of musician Ion Voicu was unveiled in Ioanid Park, made by the artist Ion Irimescu. Foto: Tudor Prisecaru.