Ion Mincu (; December 20, 1852 – December 6, 1912 in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
) was a
Romanian
Romanian may refer to:
*anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Romania
**Romanians, an ethnic group
**Romanian language, a Romance language
*** Romanian dialects, variants of the Romanian language
** Romanian cuisine, tradition ...
architect known for having a leading role in the development of the
Romanian Revival style. Most of his projects are located in
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, București ) is the capital and largest city of Romania, as well as its cultural, industrial, and financial centre. It is located in the southeast of the country, on the banks of the Dâmbovița River, less than north of ...
, including his
main works, the
Palace of Justice, the , and the
Central Girls' School.
Biography
Mincu was born in 1852 in
Focșani
Focșani (; yi, פֿאָקשאַן, Fokshan) is the capital city of Vrancea County in Romania on the banks the river Milcov, in the historical region of Moldavia. It has a population () of 79,315.
Geography
Focșani lies at the foot of the Curv ...
, at the time in
Putna County
Putna County was a county (Romanian: ''județ'') in the Kingdom of Romania, in southern Moldavia. The county seat was Focșani.
The county was located in the central-eastern part of Greater Romania, in the south of Moldavia. Today, most of the t ...
,
Moldavia
Moldavia ( ro, Moldova, or , literally "The Country of Moldavia"; in Romanian Cyrillic: or ; chu, Землѧ Молдавскаѧ; el, Ἡγεμονία τῆς Μολδαβίας) is a historical region and former principality in Centr ...
. He was the son of Pavel and Maria, and had three brothers and four sisters (one of them, Sultana, became the mother of
Duiliu Zamfirescu
Duiliu Zamfirescu (30 October 1858 – 3 June 1922) was a Romanian novelist, poet, short story writer, lawyer, nationalist politician, journalist, diplomat and memoirist. In 1909, he was elected a member of the Romanian Academy, and, for a while ...
).
He studied from 1863 to 1871 at
Unirea High School, in Focșani and from 1871 to 1875 at the
School of Roads and Bridges, in Bucharest, becoming an engineer. From 1873 to 1877 he served as chief engineer for Putna County, residing in Focșani. During that time, he also worked on the construction of the
Ploiești
Ploiești ( , , ), formerly spelled Ploești, is a city and county seat in Prahova County, Romania. Part of the historical region of Muntenia, it is located north of Bucharest.
The area of Ploiești is around , and it borders the Blejoi commune ...
–
Predeal
Predeal (; hu, Predeál) is a town in Brașov County, Transylvania, Romania. Predeal, a mountain resort town, is the highest town in Romania. It is located in the Prahova Valley at an elevation of over .
The town administers three villages: ...
road (now part of the
DN1 road).
Starting in 1877 Mincu pursued his studies in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
, first for a year at the
École Spéciale d'Architecture
The École spéciale d'architecture (ÉSA; formerly École centrale d'architecture) is a private school for architecture at 254, boulevard Raspail in Paris, France.
The school was founded in 1865 by engineer Emile Trélat as reaction against the ...
under the guidance of
Émile Trélat
Émile Trélat (6 March 1821 – 30 October 1907) was a French politician.
He was the son of Ulysse Trélat and great-grandfather of Gabriel Richet. He graduated at the École Centrale Paris in 1840. He first managed the ceramic factory o ...
, and then at the
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth century ...
, having as teachers
Julien Guadet
Julien Guadet (1834–1908) was a French architect, theoretician and professor at the École des Beaux-Arts, Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of Fran ...
, Remy de Louanges, and François Thierry-Lagrange. In 1883 he received an award from the Central Association of the French Architects, while in 1884 he received his architect diploma. Upon returning to Romania, he married in 1887, and had a daughter, Maria.
He promoted a specific Romanian style in architecture, by integrating in his works the specific style of traditional
Romanian architecture
Romanian architecture is very diverse, including medieval, pre-World War I, interwar, postwar, and contemporary 21st century architecture. In Romania, there are also regional differences with regard to architectural styles. Architecture, as the ...
. Mincu was the most important Romanian architect for
Art Nouveau and
Romanian Revival architecture
Romanian Revival architecture ( Romanian National Style, Neo-Romanian, or Neo- Brâncovenesc; ro, stilul național român, arhitectura neoromânească, neobrâncovenească) is an architectural style that has appeared in late 19th century in Roman ...
. As a recognition to his importance in the Romanian school of architecture, since 1953, the
Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism
The Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urban Planning ( ro, Universitatea de Arhitectură şi Urbanism "Ion Mincu" din București) is a public university for architectural and urbanism studies in Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ro, Bucureș ...
in Bucharest bears his name.
From 1892 to 1912 he taught architecture and became one of the founding members of the Architecture School of the Romanian Architects Association. He was the teacher of
Toma T. Socolescu
(20 July 1883 in Ploiești – 14 October 1960 in Bucharest, Romania) was a Romanian architect. He was one of the influencers of Romanian architecture from the early 20th century through World War II. He devoted his whole life to his region o ...
, another remarkable Romanian architect. From 1903 to 1912 he served as president of the Romanian Architects Association.
From 1895 to 1899 he was deputy for Putna County in the
Parliament of Romania.
He died in Bucharest in 1912, and was buried in the city's
Bellu Cemetery
Șerban Vodă Cemetery (commonly known as Bellu Cemetery) is the largest and most famous cemetery in Bucharest, Romania.
It is located on a plot of land donated to the local administration by Baron Barbu Bellu. It has been in use since 1858. Th ...
.
In 2012 he was elected posthumously a member of the
Romanian Academy
The Romanian Academy ( ro, Academia Română ) is a cultural forum founded in Bucharest, Romania, in 1866. It covers the scientific, artistic and literary domains. The academy has 181 active members who are elected for life.
According to its byl ...
. High schools in Focșani,
Tulcea
Tulcea (; also known by other alternative names) is a city in Northern Dobruja, Romania. It is the administrative center of Tulcea County, and had a population of 73,707 . One village, Tudor Vladimirescu, is administered by the city.
Names
The ...
, and
Vaslui
Vaslui (), a city in eastern Romania, is the seat of Vaslui County, in the historical region of Western Moldavia. The city administers five villages: Bahnari, Brodoc, Moara Grecilor, Rediu, and Viișoara.
History
Archaeological surveys indicate ...
, as well as streets in Bucharest,
Cluj-Napoca, Focșani, and
Oradea bear his name. The house where Mincu lived is now the residence of the Order of Romanian Architects.
Works
* , Bucharest (1882–1892). Located at the intersection of
Șoseaua Kiseleff with Architect Ion Mincu Street, it now houses the Casa Doina Restaurant.
* , Bucharest (1884–1886)
* Restoration of
Monteoru House
Monteoru House is a historic house and monument in Bucharest, Romania
Romania ( ; ro, România ) is a country located at the crossroads of Central, Eastern, and Southeastern Europe. It borders Bulgaria to the south, Ukraine to the nort ...
, Bucharest (1887–1889)
* , Bucharest (1887–1889). For many years this was considered the most beautiful residential building in the city.
* Manolescu-Vitzu House, Bucharest (1888)
* Ștefan Vlădoianu House, Bucharest (1889)
*
Central Girls' School, Bucharest (1890)
* Interior decoration of the
Palace of Justice, Bucharest (1890–1895)
* Interior decoration of the
Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul,
Constanța (1895)
* School No. 11 "Ion Heliade Rădulescu", Bucharest (1896). Constructed in Mincu's style by his student, .
* ,
Galați
Galați (, , ; also known by other alternative names) is the capital city of Galați County in the historical region of Western Moldavia, in eastern Romania. Galați is a port town on the Danube River. It has been the only port for the most par ...
(1896–1897)
* Villa Robescu,
Sinaia
Sinaia () is a town and a mountain resort in Prahova County, Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Muntenia. The town was named after the Sinaia Monastery of 1695, around which it was built. The monastery, in turn, is named aft ...
(1897)
*
Nicolae Petrașcu House,
Piața Romană
Piața Romană (''The Roman Square'') is a major traffic intersection in Sector 1, central Bucharest.
Two major boulevards intersect in Piața Romană: Lascăr Catargiu Boulevard (which runs northwest towards Piața Victoriei) and Magheru Bo ...
, Bucharest (1904)
*
Galați County Prefecture
The Galați County Prefecture ( ro, Palatul Administrativ din Galați) is a building in Galați, Romania, housing the offices of the Galați County Prefect (Romania), prefect. It is located at Strada Domnească, nr. 56.
Built in 1904–1905 accor ...
, Galați (1905–1906)
* ,
Craiova (1906, finished by in 1916). Now the Craiova City Hall.
* Restoration of
Stavropoleos Monastery, Bucharest (1904–1910)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mincu, Ion
1852 births
1912 deaths
People from Focșani
Politehnica University of Bucharest alumni
Romanian architects
Members of the Chamber of Deputies (Romania)
Burials at Bellu Cemetery
Members of the Romanian Academy elected posthumously