The house was commissioned by banker Ioan Pascu. It is difficult to ascertain who Ioan Pascu truly was, the real founder and first inhabitant of the house. Nevertheless, he was a person of means since he could afford to hire one of the most in-vogue Romanian architects of the time, Alexandru Săvulescu, to draw up the plans and oversee the completion of the project. Ioan Pascu managed to engage the renowned architect in his first project in Romania, only a few months after the latter had won a precious medal at the Paris Architecture Exhibition.
The year 1903 brought about a series of changes for the elegant residence on Sfinților Street. Many of the architectural elements were replaced, these modifications being carried out by the contractor L. Schmidt for the new owner of the property, Leonid Berkowitz. The new owner was a well-known figure in early 20th-century Bucharest, being the owner of the bank bearing his name, located in the Lipscani area. The 1900s are characterized, in architecture, by a style that emphasizes curved forms, sinuous lines, and vegetal-inspired motifs, with a visible influence of art nouveau, showing an openness to the French culture of those times. L. Schmidt also intervened in the structure of the house, completely rearranging it to the liking of the new owner.
Of undeniable elegance and beauty, retaining a special charm of times long past, the house came into the possession of the Romanian Communist Party and from 1950 to 1988 it housed the Palatul Copiilor of Sector 2. Even under these conditions, it remained in good condition, its structure not being destroyed by the passage of time.
But how did this property come into the possession of the Noblesse Group?
“Among the most blessed people are undoubtedly myself because after much hesitation and many other searches, I received what I ardently desired: a historic building, with all the advantages that I had put on a long list like an akathist, a hidden beauty from the eyes of others under the dilapidated walls, cracks in the walls, mold, and infiltrations, doors and windows destroyed by those who had devastated it maliciously, walls that were about to collapse, begging with their last breath for someone’s help. This was the image of the house when I first saw it, a house on Sfinților Street, no. 7, not far from the center of Bucharest, a European capital, which once boasted such architectural masterpieces,” recounts Loredana Preda, Co-Owner of Palatul Noblesse and General Manager of Noblesse Group.
The acquisition process was to be long and full of events, twists and turns, and obstacles because buying a historic monument house is by no means simple, from approvals from the Ministry of Culture, from the City Hall to problems of disputes and restitutions. Once the house was purchased, the restoration and consolidation began. In one year, a record time when it comes to such historic monument houses, the building was brought back to life and its former charm was restored. The stuccoes, the carpentry were restored. It was hard work, with each member of the Noblesse Group team and the interior architecture office, Noblesse Projects, actively involved in the renovation process, but the result is a fitting one, recreating the original atmosphere of the house with an added charm conferred by modernity.
