More than 120 windows refurbished in two months have restored the beauty of an urban mansion over a century old

An old house in Bucharest, an urban mansion located on Frumoasă Street near Victoriei Square, has had the chance of an inspired and careful refurbishment. It's a late 19th-century house with generous windows and doors and impressive ornamentation. The opening to the street is relatively small compared to the size of the house, which stretches far back. The tall rectangular windows allow passers-by to glimpse the imposing chandeliers in the evening. The main entrance is on the side of the building and unfortunately almost invisible from the street. The over 5 meters high door is a combination of carved wood with imposing details, carefully restored original elements, glass and wrought iron. Much to the delight of those who love old houses, the building has been restored for quite some time. However, the windows and exterior doors have not been maintained, and over time they have faded, overshadowing the beauty of the house. This fall, the house has regained its full luster, with all the exterior woodwork refurbished by Holze, which manages to professionally salvage and restore wood from old houses.

A witness of Bucharest for more than a century

The building is a listed historical monument. A plaque mounted on the street side tells us that N.D.Cocea, a Romanian lawyer, journalist and publicist, lived here during the last part of his life. But the house was built much earlier, the building permit being issued in 1896 in the name of a lady, Maria Fărcășanu, about whom not much is known. It is known, however, that she lived in the house she built-0 and is mentioned in a series of deeds from 1918.

Much better known is N.D.Cocea, the father of actress Dina Cocea, whom older people probably remember. In addition to his journalistic work, N.D. Cocea was known as a supporter of the socialist movement and a supporter of communism. He had a very "colorful" life, with many adventures that graced the pages of society publications.

But back to the house. It's built in eclectic style, a style favored by many architects in Bucharest of that period, with geometric ornaments or floral motifs around the doors and windows. The cornices and friezes are also beautifully ornamented, as is the gable between the basement and the ground floor. The house consists of a high ground floor, basement and attic - all habitable - and covers an area of about 1500 m². It has been very well restored, preserving all the decorations typical of the old Bucharest houses of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Wooden doors and windows add personality to your home

The entrance to the main body, the one visible from the street, is through an impressive wooden door. It is in fact a whole construction, with a skylight above, a double access door and two fixed side parts. All are glazed, the sides protected by a discreet wrought iron grille. The door is ornately carved, the side uprights of the movable parts ending in capitals reminiscent of Corinthian columns. The door opens to a marble staircase, at the top of which is a wooden glazed window with sand-blasted glass and floral designs. The outer door and windows are made of oak and the interior doors and lintel are made of resinous wood.

The house continues into the back courtyard with a less ornate body, attached to the main one by a round, hinge-like construction. The windows, without the elaborate decorations of the front ones, appear austere. Attic, which spans the entire surface of the house, has dormer windows with round window at the front and rectangular arched dormer window at the back.

The current windows of the house are not the original ones. Presumably the old ones could not be saved and were replaced during the initial renovation with oak windows that respect the original geometry, but with double layers of double-glazed glass. Unfortunately, the new windows were not maintained and weathering over time destroyed the finish, even the wood in places. But now they have been completely restored and the house looks fresh again.

Refurbishing windows and exterior doors

The refurbishment was a tour de force for Holze because everything had to be done as quickly as possible before the winter. All in all, around 120 windows and the massive front entrance door were redone in less than two months. Unlike house in the Television DistrictThis time, the intervention was carried out there, "on site", because the windows could not be taken to the factory. During all this time the building continued to operate as before. The building is the headquarters of a company which did not stop working and did not move during the window refurbishment.

A tent was erected in the courtyard where a small workshop was set up. Each window was brought in and the old finish coat was sanded down to the wood. The entire finish was refinished by applying a coat of walnut-colored impregnating primer, then exterior resistant primer and varnish. The impregnant and primer were applied by brushing and the final lacquer by spraying to achieve a uniform and nice looking surface. The irreparably damaged parts were replaced. During refurbishment the glass was protected. The trim was refitted in place, making removal impossible. It would have deteriorated the overall appearance and a general refurbishment of the house was not desired. At the end, gaskets that were no longer fulfilling their intended purpose were replaced, drippers were fitted and insulation was installed where necessary.

The main door was the real stumbling block. Because it was a busy building, scaffolding could not be erected. So all the rebuilding had to be done from a ladder 15 feet high. But they did it! In order to finish everything on time, they worked from morning till night. They tried to use the time when the building wasn't being worked on to do the work that could be disruptive. They stayed on good terms though, so I don't think they bothered very much 😊 They worked with passion and a desire to protect and restore Bucharest as a valuable house and that showed in the final quality of the work.

Now, the house on Frumoasă Street, an urban mansion that defines the Romanian architecture from the period of the construction of old Bucharest, has regained its charm. When I finished my visit, I walked across and gazed at it from the sidewalk across the street, thinking of times gone by, of lords and ladies, of balls and couples dancing under glittering chandeliers. A bygone world and a house like a silent witness. A legacy that should not be lost.