Cristofi Cerchez, un vechiu arhitect din Bucuresti

Abstract

Cristofi Cerchez (1872–1955) was an “old architect of Bucharest,” of Armenian origin, unjustly forgotten today. He remained in the memory of Bucharest high society, who would stroll along the Șosea boulevard to hear the bells of Dr. Nicolae Minovici’s villa, designed by him in 1905. Today, however, few residents are still able to identify buildings designed by Cerchez, while specialized studies mention him only briefly among the architectural “successors” of Ion Mincu.

Published on the occasion of the 140th anniversary of the architect’s birth, this book seeks to restore Cristofi Cerchez to his rightful place in the history of Bucharest and Romanian architecture.

In terms of the buildings designed by the architect, this is the first attempt to bring together all available information. Recent research carried out by Oana Marinache in the National Archives of Romania—both the central headquarters and county branches—as well as in the Library of the Romanian Academy, the National Heritage Institute, and the unpublished Cerchez-Condurățeanu family archive, has brought to light previously unknown data regarding approximately 50 private and public buildings (civil and religious). These works deserve a distinguished place within Romania’s architectural heritage. Important buildings designed by the architect, destroyed either during the Second World War bombings or demolished in the 1980s, are presented here for the first time through archival plans and period photographs.

The second perspective of the volume is theoretical in nature, aiming to identify the architect’s vision regarding “Romanian” art and architecture, while highlighting the sources of inspiration underlying an architectural legacy developed over more than 45 years of professional activity.

The author of the book, Oana Marinache, is an art historian, graduate of the Faculty of Art Theory and History at the National University of Arts in Bucharest, and a doctoral candidate at the same institution. She has written and published numerous articles on art and architectural history, both in print and online.

Her qualities as a careful and dedicated researcher of written sources and field investigations, together with her ability to synthesize and organize information, as well as the recommendations of professors and colleagues, stand as a guarantee of the quality of this work.