English version: Alecsandri Estates: 'What one sees and what one can't' by Silvia Colfescu

Alecsandri Estates: What one sees and what one can't 

by Silvia Colfescu, Istorioare Bucurestene

One can see a) how crowded it is and b) the vastness of the complex 

What is seen and what is not seen from images published by Alecsandri Estates who have claimed this land on streets Alecsandri and Povernei for construction? Remember, in order to make way for this office complex, savage demolitions took place only last week.

 At first glance.

The 'wonders' one sees of the foreseen architecture due to replace the elegant Adrian house along with the solid building of the Resita headquarters are in fact nothing more than giant rectangles. Though claims say otherwise, there is no originality, no thrill of creativity. It is nothing more than common architecture, widely used over the last few decades - banal, dull forms, which are all the more dreadful since they clash so with the general ambiance of the neighbourhood.

The planned office complex takes up so much of the Alecsandri and Povernei land that it is cumbersome -the three buildings suffocate all the space available. And yet, no image appears on the right side, the four-storey block that is also expected to be built in place of the demolished monumental Rosetti-Solesti villa. This gigantic building will further choke the area and inevitably block the little square at the intersection of str Povernei, str Constantin Daniel and str Visarion.

What one can't see

What one cannot see is due to the simple fact that a drawing or a computerised image cannot create impressions that truly portray the reality. Cases in point:

1) One cannot see, for example, the relationship between the new complex and the buildings around it.

Str Alecsandri has a number of classified historical monuments (LMI 2010) at n°s 1-3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 13, 16, 18, 20.

Opposite the colossal new complex there are monuments at n°s. 3 (P), 5 (P+2) and 7 (P+2) as well as n°s 6 (P 1), 8 (P), 10 (P 2). These monuments have a maximum height of two floors. There is no cohesion between them and the new buildings facing them. To have a seven-storey building opposite them will crush the ensemble, reducing them to squashed little cottages.

The same situation awaits str Constantin Daniel and str Povernei, both lined with mostly elegant homes on the whole from the early twentieth century, both with and without historical monument status.

2) One is also unable to see the true width of the streets and thus, therefore, the traffic situation.

The streets fall short of 10m in width and pavements less than 3m. Car owners and those who work in the area park on both sides of the streets, leaving one strip free for circulation. Once again, with the construction of the blocks on Căderea Bastiliei at the bd. Iancu de Hunedoara end, the traffic on this street and the perpendicular str. Grigore Alexandrescu has become a nightmare.

A year or two ago, police imposed one-way traffic on this street for that very reason. The circulation and parking problems were not solved, but nothing else could be done to improve matters.

From the images presented by Alecsandri Estates, any details that could give allusion to the appalling congestion these office blocks will cause here have been skilfully obscured. The streets appear empty and the little square at the intersection seems so large that you could be forgiven for thinking you were at Pta Charles de Gaulle.

The circulation plans presented by Alecsandri Estates are pure fantasy. Entrances to underground garages will be the same as those of the new blocks on Căderea Bastiliei - crowded, narrow, dangerous, and thus barely used. The lives of residents in the neighbourhood will become sheer bedlam, with fierce battles for parking spaces and the unresolved problem of the exodus at rush hour.

Furthermore, this underground parking which should be for the whole complex and thus 450 cars, is actually for 358, which will leave drivers going round and round the neighbourhood looking for parking spaces which are... non-existent.

Taking into account the disfiguring of the neighbourhood through heavy traffic, discomfort to local residents as well as to employees and increased pollution, I wonder how we can open real estate 'developers' eyes as to the impossibility involved in the implementing of such construction in a city's historic centre.

There's enough room in the suburbs after all for wide-spread construction, with correct and easy access via new roads, adapted to the land and suitable for the needs of traffic.

We, citizens of Bucharest, should start another revolution.

Copyright Silvia Colfescu, 2011
-Translation Roumanian to English by Sarah In Romania-

Comments

[Isaac]

And I might add, I care little if 31 C. Tell is demolished, it's a horrid-looking modern thing, but the point is, that is a very residential area! The idea ought not even to have been entertained--build on the outskirts, not in a historical center (I notice that splendid building, the one King Ferdinand built for his mistress, is in the midst of it all--how horrid! That building is irreplaceably lost amidst characterless nightmares of buildings if something is not done.

[Isaac]

Thanks so much Sarah, that was quick! You could email me at hauteclas91012@yahoo.com, I'd appreciate it so much. I loved visiting Bucharest two years ago. My great aunt lived in a large, once-fabulous flat (the whole top floor!) of an apartment building from 1920. Unfortunately she's now in an adult foster care home because of her alzheimer's, and the flat has since been sold. Anyways, it was thrilling to see all the aristocratic palaces I'd read about as a teenager (Marthe Bibesco's childhood home, the Cantacuzino's!), but I am still angered by their neglect, even on the embassy level. The Russian's are more adept at preservation, the Communists didn't touch St Petersburg! Shame on Romania! I will be writing a very angry letter soon. We need international celebrities to expose the back-board room goings-on in Bucharest, pronto!

[sairj]

Hi Isaac,
Thank you so much for your heartfelt comment. It really is odious to have to witness a country being pulled apart in more ways than one by those running it whether it be actively by City Hall or through the indifference of the govt...

i'm not sure who you could write to, but first off, I think Monica Macovei is a good start since she has already taken the cases of demolitions to the EU Parliament. you could also address a letter to Basescu and PM Boc.

Do send me an email as to where best to reach you and I'll give you some more contacts.
All the best,
Sarah

[Isaac]

My mother was born in Bucharest. It breaks my heart to see it continue to be abused (I was mistaken in thinking that now that Romania is in the EU, regulations would be made and folllowed regarding the historical MONUMENTS of that city). I would think Bucharesters would wish to preserve their history for at least tourism's sake, after so much was destroyed by the Communists, earthquakes, and selfish oligarchs. Is there any way one can help for the cause of these priceless treasures? To whom could I write/email?
Also, I'm enchanted with your blog, thank you so much for sharing your beautiful discoveries!
Merci!

[sairj]

You are so welcome, Silvia. but if the translation is okay it's because the original was so inspiring and well written. Bravo to you!