THE NEGOIU (STĂNESCU) HOTEL

Almost at the same time and based on the plans of the same architect, on 16 Ion Câmpineanu Street,at the intersection of Academiei Street and Royal Street, were built two of the most luxurious hotels of Interwar Bucharest: the Stănescu (later Negoiu) Hotel and the Union Hotel. In the 1934 guide, these were mentioned among the six luxury hotels of the Capital, alongside Athenée Palace, Bulevard, Grand Hotel and Splendid.

On the site of the Stănescu Hotel, the Regal Hotel was functioning since the late 19th century. In fact, the new construction was built through the extension of the old one, a two-level structure to which four other levels were added. The project was signed by architect Arghir Culina, with engineer Dim Marcu, a team that would also work together a few years later on the Ambasador Hotel. The new Stănescu Hotel, built in the years 1928-1929, had 100 rooms and, according to the advertisements of the era, had all the comfort and the latest innovations in technology and hygiene. The building belongs to the mature phase of Art Deco architecture.

Above the ground floor that still keeps the ironwork and the ample canopy of the entrance, the windows are enlivened by the vertical rows of the windows. This direction is sustained by a series of strips that, two by two, meet in the upper part in circle arches. Thus take shape several elongated encasements that contain in their vertical the windows of four or five levels. The gaze is led upwards. In the upper part, the volume seems trimmed with lace: the successive setbacks of the last levels, the advanced plans of the balcony parapets, the increasingly richer decoration – all of these contribute to a vibrant composition. The concave, robust vertical of the corner volume ends on a similar note. The two balconies flanked by columns, the detached arches on the façade, the decorative frieze above them and the continuous balcony of the last level give the impression of an airy, even diaphanous composition.