# Nicolae G. Socolescu

Nicolae G. Socolescu (born Niculae Gheorghe Socol) was a 19th-century Romanian neoclassical and baroque architect.

## Biography

Originally from Transylvania in the Austrian Empire, a native of the village of Berivoiul Mare in Țara Făgărașului, he settled in Wallachia (now Romania) in Ploiești, along with his four brothers, all builders, around 1840–1846. He studied architecture in Vienna. In 1846, he began his career as an architect and a master builder. After leaving the Austro-Hungarian Empire for Romania, as soon as he arrived in Ploiești, he changed his name to Nicolae G. Socolescu. He was one of Prahova County's leading architect-builders in the mid-19th century. He died in 1872 and is buried in the courtyard of the Sfântul Spiridon church in Ploiești.

### Genealogy

The Socol family of Berivoiul Mare, part of Țara Făgărașului is a branch of the Socol family of Muntenia, which lived in the county of Dâmbovița. A 'Socol', great boyar and son-in-law of Mihai Viteazul (1557–1601), had two religious foundations in Dâmbovița county, still existing, Cornești and Răzvadu de Sus. He built their churches and another one in the suburb of Târgoviște. This boyar married Marula, daughter of Tudora din Popești, also known as Tudora din Târgșor, sister of Prince Antonie-Vodă. Marula was recognized by Mihai Viteazul as his illegitimate daughter, following an extra-marital liaison with Tudora. Marula is buried in the church of Răzvadu de Sus, where, on a richly carved stone slab, her name can be read.
Nicolae Iorga, the great Romanian historian and friend of his grandson Toma T. Socolescu, found Socol ancestors among the founders of the City of Făgăraș in the 12th century. In 1655, the Prince of Transylvania George II Rákóczi ennobled an ancestor of Nicolae G. Socol: "Ștefan Boier din Berivoiul Mare, and through him his wife Sofia Spătar, his son Socoly, and their heirs and descendants of whatever sex, to be treated and regarded as true and undeniable NOBLEMEN.", in gratitude for his services as the Prince's courier in the Carpathians, a function "which he fulfilled faithfully and steadfastly for many years, and especially in these stormy times [...]". Around 1846, five Socol come to Muntenia, from Berivoiul Mare, in the territory of Făgăraș.
   "Five brothers crossed the mountains, all builders, from the Făgăraș region, a village at the foot of the mountains, Berivoiul Mare, where the name of Socol is still widespread today, and where one of their ancestors is said to have come from Munténie, namely from the region of Târgoviște, which is the home of the Socol family, being to this day, near Târgovişte, Valea lui Socol (the Socol Valley), as well as their two founding churches, in Răzvadu de Sus and Cornești."
One of the brothers was architect Nicolae Gh. Socol (??-1872). He settled in Ploiești around 1840–1845, and named himself Socolescu. He married Iona Săndulescu, from the Sfantu Spiridon suburb. He had a daughter (she died in infancy) and four sons, two of whom became major architects: Toma N. Socolescu and Ion N. Socolescu [ro]. The lineage of architects continues with Toma T. Socolescu, and his son Barbu Socolescu.
The historian, cartographer and geographer Dimitrie Papazoglu [ro] evokes, in 1891, the presence of Romanian boyars of the first rank Socoleşti, in Bucharest, descendants of Socol from Dâmbovița. Finally, Constantin Stan also refers, in 1928, to the precise origin of Nicolae Gheorghe Socol :
   "At the foot of the Carpathians, on the right bank of the stream of the same name, lies the commune of Berivoiul Mare [...], one of the oldest villages in the Olt household [...]. The inhabitants are composed of serfs and former boyars. [...], and the Romanian boyar families were: Socol, Boyer, Sinea and Răduleț, soldiers with border guard privileges.[...] The G. Streza Socol family gave birth to Nicolae Socol, a graduated architect from Vienna, who settled in the town of Ploeşti with several of his brothers around the middle of the last century
| | | | | | | | | | | Niculae Gheorghe Socol (~1820-1872) architect and builder in Ploiești | Niculae Gheorghe Socol (~1820-1872) architect and builder in Ploiești | Niculae Gheorghe Socol (~1820-1872) architect and builder in Ploiești | Niculae Gheorghe Socol (~1820-1872) architect and builder in Ploiești | Niculae Gheorghe Socol (~1820-1872) architect and builder in Ploiești | Niculae Gheorghe Socol (~1820-1872) architect and builder in Ploiești | | | | | | | Ioana Săndulescu | Ioana Săndulescu | Ioana Săndulescu | Ioana Săndulescu | Ioana Săndulescu | Ioana Săndulescu | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | Alexandrina Nicolau (1860–1900) | Alexandrina Nicolau (1860–1900) | Alexandrina Nicolau (1860–1900) | Alexandrina Nicolau (1860–1900) | Alexandrina Nicolau (1860–1900) | Alexandrina Nicolau (1860–1900) | | | | | | | Toma N. Socolescu (1848–1897) architect and builder in Ploiești | Toma N. Socolescu (1848–1897) architect and builder in Ploiești | Toma N. Socolescu (1848–1897) architect and builder in Ploiești | Toma N. Socolescu (1848–1897) architect and builder in Ploiești | Toma N. Socolescu (1848–1897) architect and builder in Ploiești | Toma N. Socolescu (1848–1897) architect and builder in Ploiești | | | Nicolae N. Socolescu timber merchant | Nicolae N. Socolescu timber merchant | Nicolae N. Socolescu timber merchant | Nicolae N. Socolescu timber merchant | Nicolae N. Socolescu timber merchant | Nicolae N. Socolescu timber merchant | | | Ghiță N. Socolescu artist painter, dead during his graduate studies | Ghiță N. Socolescu artist painter, dead during his graduate studies | Ghiță N. Socolescu artist painter, dead during his graduate studies | Ghiță N. Socolescu artist painter, dead during his graduate studies | Ghiță N. Socolescu artist painter, dead during his graduate studies | Ghiță N. Socolescu artist painter, dead during his graduate studies | | | Ion N. Socolescu [ro] (1856–1924) architect | Ion N. Socolescu [ro] (1856–1924) architect | Ion N. Socolescu [ro] (1856–1924) architect | Ion N. Socolescu [ro] (1856–1924) architect | Ion N. Socolescu [ro] (1856–1924) architect | Ion N. Socolescu [ro] (1856–1924) architect |
| Florica Tănescu (1887-1969) | Florica Tănescu (1887-1969) | Florica Tănescu (1887-1969) | Florica Tănescu (1887-1969) | Florica Tănescu (1887-1969) | Florica Tănescu (1887-1969) | | | Toma T. Socolescu (1883–1960) professor-architect | Toma T. Socolescu (1883–1960) professor-architect | Toma T. Socolescu (1883–1960) professor-architect | Toma T. Socolescu (1883–1960) professor-architect | Toma T. Socolescu (1883–1960) professor-architect | Toma T. Socolescu (1883–1960) professor-architect | | | Florica T. Socolescu | Florica T. Socolescu | Florica T. Socolescu | Florica T. Socolescu | Florica T. Socolescu | Florica T. Socolescu | | | Smaranda T. Socolescu | Smaranda T. Socolescu | Smaranda T. Socolescu | Smaranda T. Socolescu | Smaranda T. Socolescu | Smaranda T. Socolescu | | | Ioan T. Socolescu | Ioan T. Socolescu | Ioan T. Socolescu | Ioan T. Socolescu | Ioan T. Socolescu | Ioan T. Socolescu | | | Coralia-Ioana-Margareta T. Socolescu | Coralia-Ioana-Margareta T. Socolescu | Coralia-Ioana-Margareta T. Socolescu | Coralia-Ioana-Margareta T. Socolescu | Coralia-Ioana-Margareta T. Socolescu | Coralia-Ioana-Margareta T. Socolescu |
| Mircea Socolescu (1907–1978) settled in France in 1945, married without children | Mircea Socolescu (1907–1978) settled in France in 1945, married without children | Mircea Socolescu (1907–1978) settled in France in 1945, married without children | Mircea Socolescu (1907–1978) settled in France in 1945, married without children | Mircea Socolescu (1907–1978) settled in France in 1945, married without children | Mircea Socolescu (1907–1978) settled in France in 1945, married without children | | | Toma Gheorghe Barbu Socolescu (1909–1977) professor-architect | Toma Gheorghe Barbu Socolescu (1909–1977) professor-architect | Toma Gheorghe Barbu Socolescu (1909–1977) professor-architect | Toma Gheorghe Barbu Socolescu (1909–1977) professor-architect | Toma Gheorghe Barbu Socolescu (1909–1977) professor-architect | Toma Gheorghe Barbu Socolescu (1909–1977) professor-architect | | | Irena Gabriela Vasilescu (1910–1993) artist painter, teacher | Irena Gabriela Vasilescu (1910–1993) artist painter, teacher | Irena Gabriela Vasilescu (1910–1993) artist painter, teacher | Irena Gabriela Vasilescu (1910–1993) artist painter, teacher | Irena Gabriela Vasilescu (1910–1993) artist painter, teacher | Irena Gabriela Vasilescu (1910–1993) artist painter, teacher | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Mihai Ștefan Marc Socolescu (1942–1994) teacher | Mihai Ștefan Marc Socolescu (1942–1994) teacher | Mihai Ștefan Marc Socolescu (1942–1994) teacher | Mihai Ștefan Marc Socolescu (1942–1994) teacher | Mihai Ștefan Marc Socolescu (1942–1994) teacher | Mihai Ștefan Marc Socolescu (1942–1994) teacher | Maria Lois (1942-2021) teacher | Maria Lois (1942-2021) teacher | Maria Lois (1942-2021) teacher | Maria Lois (1942-2021) teacher | Maria Lois (1942-2021) teacher | Maria Lois (1942-2021) teacher |
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | Laura Socolescu (1967) settled in France – artist-choreographer, dancer | Laura Socolescu (1967) settled in France – artist-choreographer, dancer | Laura Socolescu (1967) settled in France – artist-choreographer, dancer | Laura Socolescu (1967) settled in France – artist-choreographer, dancer | Laura Socolescu (1967) settled in France – artist-choreographer, dancer | Laura Socolescu (1967) settled in France – artist-choreographer, dancer |

## Architectural achievements

The period in which Socol settled in Wallachia corresponded to a political and cultural desire, widely shared in the country, to move closer to the West and away from Eastern culture. A genuine desire to assimilate Western values permeated all the Romanian society. Architecture has obviously been one of the most visible expressions of this trend. As a result, demand for neo-classical and baroque buildings - the architectural styles in vogue in Western Europe - quickly took over from other styles. In addition, the city was booming economically and commercially, with the construction of the first oil refineries and factories. Applying the concepts and style he learned from his Viennese architectural studies, Socol's works include neo-classical and neo-Gothic but also eclectics. He was the first Romanian architect to settle in Ploiești, having practiced architecture in the region for 30 years as early as 1840.
Most of the architects practicing in Romania at the time were foreigners, often from Transylvania, and few reached the level of the foreign architects brought in by the princes and rulers of the epoch. It should be remembered that the first architectural education in the country dates back only to 1864, with the creation of the Architecture section within the School of Fine Arts, a section created by architect Alexandru Orăscu. The architect responded to a strong demand for occidentalization and also for the transformation of traditional inns (han) into more comfortable single-storey houses, or even upmarket hotels. Morevor, he built numerous stores and boutiques for Ploiești merchants. Lastly, he was one of the founders and builders of the Sfântul Spiridon church in the suburb near the city center, where he lived.

### In Ploiești

* The family home, located in Ploiești suburb called Sfântul Spiridon, circa 1846. It was destroyed during the construction of the Central Market Halls of Ploiești [ro] in the 1930s.
* Europa hotel, it originally hosted stores on the first floor and residential apartments upstairs, built for the Radovici brothers. They played leading political roles at the time: Alexandru G. Radovici [ro], a politician of national stature who was elected deputy, senator, mayor of Ploiești, but also minister of industry and commerce and vice-president of the Chamber of Deputies before 1914, ending up Director of the Central Bank during the war, and his brother the Dr. Ioan G. Radovici. Later renovated, then raised by one storey and attic-roofed by his grandson Toma T. Socolescu before 1914, it was badly damaged by the American bombardments of 1944, poorly rebuilt, and finally destroyed in the 1960s-70s by the Communists to make way for the administrative palace.
* Victoria hotel, on the strada Romană, which for a time remained the property of Tane and Panait Tănescu.
| Carol hotel, around 1926. | Victoria hotel around 1937. | Europa hotel in the 18930's. |
| Niculae Gh. Socol's hotels. |
* The Hagi Petre Buzilă or Bujilă's inn (hanul Hagi Petre Buzilă), in 1858, at the crossroads of calea Câmpinii and strada Romană. The former Tribunal moved there in November 1860, renting its premises. It was bombed in 1944 and destroyed immediately after the war.
* The inn of Hagi Niţă Pitiși or Hagi Niţă Pittiș, in 1857, located near the halls. It is in the same style as the Hagi Petre Buzilă inn. In 1937, Toma T. Socolescu made a description of the master of the house: "A native of Transylvania, he was a leading merchant on the strada Lipscani; a religious man, he closed his store during religious services on Sundays and public holidays, and was much appreciated by his fellow citizens. The building is still preserved in its original shape." The building was still intact in 1938. Damaged by the 1944 American bombings of 1944, it was rebuilt in a completely different style to the original (without decorations and with an additional storey). It was eventually demolished in the 1950s, and replaced by a seven-storey, unstyled Communist housing block.
* A big boyar house for the commissioner Panaiote Filitis, located calea Câmpinii. A house that he also restored later for the new owner: Dumitru D. Hariton, mayor of Ploiești from May 1892 to August 1894. The building has since been demolished.
* A store with several boutiques, located at the intersection of calea Romană and calea Câmpinii for Hagi Petre Buzilă, circa 1852. His grandson Toma T. Socolescu described its architecture 70 years later in his work Arhitectura în Ploești, studiu istoric: "It was one of the most successful and characteristic buildings of this so-called Austrian style, but which had the stamp of northern Italian influence: a neo-Gothic one, with rich and fine ornamentation, under cornices as well as in the tympanums of the arches, and which would have deserved to be kept, especially since it was still very well preserved". Half of it was later destroyed for another construction. It no longer exists today.
| Hagi Niţă Pitiși's inn. | Hagi Petre Buzilă's inn. | Hagi Petre Buzilă's inn, building aisle. |
| Niculae Gh.Socol's inns. |

### Outside Ploiești

* In Câmpina, around 1850, Zaharia Carcalechi's house, journalist and publisher native from Brașov. It later became, in 1877, the town hall of Câmpina. Restored by his son Toma N. Socolescu around 1880, it is located at the intersection of Doftanei avenue, and the city's central boulevard, Carol I Boulevard. It was demolished in 1922, and another town hall was built on the same site.
* Bărcănescu or palatul Bărcănescu family Palace in the municipality of Bărcănești.
* Many buildings in Târgoviște.

### Attributed works

The absence of archives and written traces in the 19th century makes it difficult to attribute certain works. However, the work of Toma T. Socolescu in his historical study on the architecture of Ploiești, and in particular his research around 1937 in the city court archives, as well as in those of the town hall, in order to find conclusive evidence on ancient constructions, allows other works to be attributed to the architect. The author of the study, a connoisseur of Romanian architecture from the 18th century, makes an analysis of the buildings styles and relies on testimonials from descendants:
   "From their architecture, from the period in which they were built, and from the assertion of the old man V. Pitişi, son of Hagi N. Pitişi, I can state with certainty that these two inns, which are undeniably made by the same architect, and the Moldavia hotel, the I. Radovici's house as it was (today hotel Carol), the house of brothers I. and G. Radovici (today hotel Europa), restored by myself, the former Victoria hotel (Fig. 65) once owned by Tane and Panait Tănescu, the former Panaiote Filitis's house on calea Câmpinii, later owned by D. D. Hariton, — also on Câmpinii street, the Petrache Filitis'house, later by N. Rășcan, the Sfântul Spiridon church, the row of stores P. P. Panțu, now transformed into a facade, formerly owned by Hagi Jecu and many others in the same style and from the same period were built — both plans as well as execution, as was usual at the time, by Nicolae G. Socolescu (originally Socol), building architect”.
We can thus list the works attributed to Nicolae Gheorghe Socolescu by Toma T. Socolescu:
* The Moldavia hotel, resulting from the transformation of a post office for Nica Filip family, still standing in 1937.
* The luxury hotel Carol Palace after the transformation of Dr. I. Radovici residence. It was located at strada Unirii and strada Romană intersection. It was destroyed by the communists in the 1980s to make way for the extension of the new telecommunications building, which was in turn abandoned in the 2000s.
* Petrache Filitis's house, on calea Câmpinii, at the crossing of strada Carpați, which later became N. Rășcan street. Degraded over time by a succession of tragic events: the 1940 earthquake, the American bombings of 1944, then the dispossession by the communists, it ended up like most of the houses unmaintained or unconsolidated by the communists: destroyed in the 1980s.
* Sfântu Spiridon church in the suburb of the same name where he lived. The church was consecrated on December 11, 1854. Among the benefactors, the architect's name appears on a pisania (engraved stone plaque) above the church door.
* A row of stores for P. P. Panţu, formerly owned by Hagi Jecu, whose facades were later transformed.
* Two buildings constructed by Nicolae Socol and his son Toma N. Socolescu on strada I. G. Duca (now Romană), the first on the corner with strada Negustori, with stores on the first floor, and the second a small dwelling house on the same I. G. Duca street at no. 108. On their frontispiece, are drawn the two lions found in other buildings of the period, all in a delicate neo-classical style. The first house now located at the corner of strada Romană and strada Ştefan Greceanu, is still visible, it is the Călugăru inn or hanul Călugăru. The wing located at strada Romană is clearly recognizable, with its entrance gate unchanged fromthe original, although the pediment of the entrance for carts and carriages has been disfigured. This construction would therefore be the only one still existing and recognizable today in Ploiești, built by Niculae Gheorghe Socol.

## Legacy

Influenced by the Austrian classical and baroque styles he observed in Vienna, Nicolae G. Socolescu was a neoclassical architect. He was among the first active Romanian architects. He participated in the movement of modernization of the country in architecture and civil construction. Along with the architects of his time, all of whom had been trained in Western Europe, he passed on to the country what he had seen and learned during his stay in Vienna. Western styles, with their strong cultural influence: Neoclassical, Baroque, Italian or Neo-Gothic, were highly prized by Prahova's merchants, its main customers, who were also eager to westernize and detach themselves from Oriental influence, in particular that of their former protector: the Ottoman Empire, from which the country was in the process of freeing itself completely. Socol marked Ploiești with his style for almost 100 years (1846 to 1944), and his art, through the Carol Hotel, was still present until 1980, before Ceaușescu's systematization.
Almost all of his works have been destroyed or radically transformed over time. The construction of the Central Market Hall (1935–1936) initially necessitated the destruction of some of his works. It was the American bombings of 1944 that destroyed a substantial part of his achievements, most of which were still standing at the time. The communist systematization delivered the final blow and erased almost all visible traces of his architectural work. Only the building of the former Călugăru inn, in Ploiești, remains. Socol, however, laid the foundations for the creative and innovative activity of his descendants: Ion N. and then Toma T. Socolescu. His financial comfort was also a stepping stone for his two sons who took up the torch of architecture: Ion N. Socolescu and Toma N. Socolescu and left a deep mark on Romanian architecture.
| Hagi Petre Buzilă's store. | Hagi Petre Buzilă's store plan. |
| Niculae Gh.Socol's stores. |