Mincu House

The Mincu House // the restoration project





The Chamber of Architects in Romania buys the house from arch. Mincu`s descendants and becomes its owner in 2002. The restoration process started in 2010, revealing among others several sketches drawn by the architect or hidden letters from the inter-war period of time. The restoration process has been coordinated by the arch. Serban Sturdza, involving the efforts of a 200 members team of architects, restaurateurs and volunteers. The Mincu House is a historical monument open to public access and visitation since October 2012.

The volunteering program objectives during the Mincu House restoration site:

1. acquiring mobile patrimony and mural painting conservation skills;

2. acquiring notions of preventive conservation, in site conservation, emergency interventions and technical assistance;

3. developing knowledge on the complex historical monuments restoration process, based on all its artistic components;

4. enhancing the building of a strong team of restaurateurs, architects, engineers able to conduct emergency interventions and technical assistance to endangered monuments;

5. developing training sessions for different levels of expertise, with the support of experts in historical monuments conservation and restoration;

6. enhancing projects for personal professional development.

1846-1863

The historical monument plaque attestation reveals 1877 as the year the house came to existence. Recently though there have been discovered records that indicate the year 1857 as the construction date. The early owners of the estate in the Popa Ivascu slum (named Pitar Mos street nowadays) have been identified as Nicolae Ogradeanul (between 1846-1853), that sold it to Scarlat Rosetti and N. Gusi. Buried in debt, they had to sell once again plots of the estate. The buyer turned out to be the chief architect of Bucharest at that time, a certain arch. Gaetano Antonio Burelly (1820-1896), that bought the plots in 1857 and 1863.

The graf Carol (or Scarlat Rosetti /1802-1872) received his nobility title of count from the Austrian Imperial Court, becoming an influent public figure of the time and a famous traveller that reached to Asia. He was also an important land owner and one of the biggest contributors to the Romanian Athenaeum, where he donated a rich library of 6.000 volumes.

1863



It is believed that the first buyer of the Pitar Mos street plot was arch. Burelly, that also built the house. The estate was subsequently completed with Mercur street plot (named Arthur Verona street nowadays). The selling price was 360 galbeni (golden coins). The second contract is dated September 6th, 1863. 

The records only mention the plots, so there is no certain reference to the construction date of the house built by arch. Burelly, but the interval can be reduces to the 1857 - 1863 period of time.

 

1863-1890

It is difficult to follow arch. Burelly`s trajectory from this point on. There are certain records indicating the fact that he participated at the construction project for the Zoe Brancoveanu Trusteeship and was member of several committees for approval and coordination of construction projects in Bucharest. He did not enjoy though a very pleasant financial situation towards the end of his life. He contracted a mortgage on the house in the amount of 36.763 lei and a private loan in value of 2.000 lei from a certain Elena Eraclide. On March 14th, 1890 Burelly sells the property in Mercur street no 15 to arch. Ion Mincu, for the amount of 70.000 lei. He only received 13.237 lei, the rest of the amount being used by the new owner to pay off the debt.