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Toma N. Socolescu was an important neoclassical Romanian architect of the mid to late 19th century, born in Ploiești in 1848, and passed away on November 22, 1897 in Ploiești. First Romanian architect in the county of Prahova having been trained in Romania, he participated extensively in the urban planning of the city of Ploiești. He has built many public works in his region of Prahova, while having the particularity of having also exercised as a building contractor. He carried out his own plans as well as those of other architects.

Biography
Neoclassical architect, born in 1848 in Ploiești, son of the architect Niculae Gheorghe Socol, major architect of the Prahova County, he is the only Romanian architect officiating in Prahova from his time, the others being all of foreign origin. Builder of many public and official buildings of județ, churches and remarkable private houses, several of which are listed in the historical architectural heritage of Romania, he was also chief architect of the city of Ploieşti and main contractor. Indeed, he carried out most of his works after drawing up all the plans. According to his son, Toma T. Socolescu, he himself made the materials necessary for the constructions. Thus, as a master builder and entrepreneur, executing the plans of other architects, he will build schools, hospitals, high schools and barracks. In the last years of his life, he will engage in the oil industry and becomes the owner of oil platforms in the municipality of Buștenari, in the County of Prahova. In association with Toma Rucăreanu, he himself will build a gas factory called "Lumina", next to the, of Ploieşti. A hard worker, he also has an artistic flair. A good draughtsman and watercolourist, he also enjoyed creating and shaping decorative handicrafts in glazed terracotta, as well as traditional Romanian stoves in his own home. There is a watercolor and a drawing at the Ploiești Art Museum: Michael the Brave, on horseback. Originally from Transylvania, and echoing the founding of the city by Michael the Brave, the architect decorated many of his buildings with a frontispiece adorned with a bas-relief of the Prince.

He was very close to his younger brother, the architect whom he supported financially during all his studies at the Paris School of Architecture. He will move to Bucharest in 1896 to follow the big building site of the Vodă barracks.

He is one of the twenty signatories, including Ion Mincu, of a petition asking the Prime Minister to create a Commission for Historic Monuments, with the aim of protecting and preserving Romania's architectural heritage. The petition was published in the newspaper The Annals of Architecture in May 1890.

He died at the age of 48 on November 22, 1897 in Ploiești, having accomplished an impressive work, despite the premature end of his professional activity. He is buried in the Socolescu family vault at the Bellu Cemetery in Bucharest.

Education and travels
He studied architecture in the section led by the architects and  at the School of Fine Arts of Bucharest. He joined the school on December 23, 1867, which he finished in 1870. His diploma is signed by the hand of the King Carol I.

Romanian architects are then formed in the spirit of classical architecture. The neo-classicism was adopted in Wallachia and Moldavia from the 18th century, it would last until the end of the 19th century.

Very active and eager for knowledge, he undertook a study trip to France and Italy during the 1893 winter. .

Official duties, titles and public responsibilities

 * Chief architect of the city of Ploiești, in 1882.
 * Founding member of the Romanian Architects Society, created around February 16, 1891. He was the only one among the founders to practice architecture in Ploiești
 * Decorated with the Knight'sCross of the Order of the Crown of Romania on February 21, 1884.

Genealogy
The Socol family of Berivoiul-Mare, formerly part of Făgăraș or Făgăraș land 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 organizations 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, 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 cemetery of Răzvadu de Sus church.

Nicolae Iorga found Socol ancestors among the founders of the town of Făgăraș. Around 1846, five Socol brothers came to Muntenia from Berivoiul-Mare, in the Land of Făgăraș where the name of Socol is widespread. It is told that an ancestor of Socol would come to Muntenia, including the region of Târgoviște, home of the family Socol, being so far next to Târgoviște, the Socol valley, and their two religious endowments Răzvadul de Sus and Cornești.

One of the brothers was architect Niculae Gheorghe Socol (??-1872). He settled in Ploiești and named himself Socolescu. He married Iona Săndulescu, from the Sfantu Spiridon suburb. He had a daughter (died in infancy) and four sons, two of whom became major architects: Toma N. and Ion N.

Architectural achievements
Toma N. Socolescu began his career as architect and master buider in 1870. He elaborates the plans and realizes the constructions of all types of buildings: private houses, public buildings, factories, churches, etc. As chief architect of the city of Ploiești, he drew up, in 1882, the first topographic plan of the city: Planul urbei Ploesci, nomenclatura, de Toma N. Socolescu architectu, URBEI, Anu 1882.

In 1830, the city of Ploiești did not include any official, public building, not even a school or hospitals. Public services were installed in private premises rented for this purpose. Everything was left to build. Toma N. Socolescu played a major role in the construction and planning of public buildings.

The city owes him most of the official public buildings of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Most will last until 1944. Some, and in particular the churches, are still visible.

Public and religious buildings, artworks

 * church plans and building, from 1875 to 1880. Many Russian soldiers, present during the Russo-Turkish conflict of 1877-1878, contributed to its construction . It survived despite significant damage due to the earthquakes of 1940 and 1977, but also to the american bombings of 1944. Reconsolidated in 1998, the church is listed as a historical monument . Its interior walls were decorated with frescoes by the painter Gheorghe Tattarescu  , then spelled: Tătărăscu.
 * Viișoara cemetery chapem in 1880, when the cemetery of the same name was founded.
 * Sfinţii Împărați Constantin și Elena church plans and building, around 1890, located at the intersection of Ion Luca Caragiale, Take Ionescu and Mărășești streets. The architect was inspired by the Episcopal Church of Curtea de Argeș, known at the time as the most beautiful monument in the country . The interior of the building was decorated by the then famous churches painter: Toma Vintilescu. Also badly affected by war and earthquakes, the church was restored and re-consecrated in 1945.
 * Plans and construction of the former Courthouse, built in 1879, located on the sidewalk of the current Prahova hotel, it was seriously affected by the earthquake of 1940 and then demolished in the following months.
 * He drew up the plans and built the "Palace of Communal Baths" on the order of Radu Stanian, between 1877 and 1979. . The baths, later renamed Municipal Baths, will be sold later to the city. Inaugurated in 1881, it was a citizen admired symbol. It will function until after the Second World War, housing the baths, but also, by period, part of the high school Sfântul Petru şi Pavel . The palace was finally destroyed by the Communists in 1955, and replaced by styleless and pale housing blocks.
 * The fish markets, in 1880, under the mandate of the mayor Constantin T. Grigorescu. They will be demolished to make way for the construction of the, the major work of his son Toma T. Socolescu.
 * The fire station, behind the old town hall, in 1881.
 * Plans and construction of the School of Arts and Crafts, on Văleni avenue (at the time), built in 1886 . Classified as a historical monument, it is located on Văleni street, number 32, and now houses a public administration, the "Urban Management Services of the City of Ploiești".
 * Boys' primary school "Number 3", then located at the corner of Târgușor (or Târgșor) street, and lieutenant Al. Zagoriţ, formerly Ghiţă Alexiu Street, in 1888 . The building has survived, it now houses a nursery school on Mărășești street, number 51, at the intersection with Ceahlău street.
 * The marble base (extracted from a Prahova quarry) of the Statue of Liberty, as well as its wrought iron fence. Inaugurated on June 11, 1881, the bronze statue represents Minerva, Goddess of wisdom. She was made and cast in France . It has changed location several times over the years, it is now located on Heroes Square (Piața Eroilor), in front of the  (Catedrală Sfântul Ioan Botezătorul), built by his son Toma T. Socolescu. It was an important symbol of the city following the political turmoil of 1870 , for a long time it remained neglected and hidden by the Communists. Very degraded in the 2000s, it was finally restored from 2008 to 2012, then moved again in 2012 to its current location.

Private houses, shops and hotels
The list is not exhaustive ..
 * The new Dimitrie Sfetescu House . Listed as a historical monument, it became the headquarters of the Concordia oil company in the 1930s, then the headquarters of the Ploiești municipal police in the 2000s. It can still be seen on Bulevard Independenței, number 21.
 * Gheorghe Dobrescu house, a great merchant from Brașov (Transylvania), located on Bulevard Independenței, number 23, and always visible.
 * D. Angelescu house . Destroyed at the beginning of the 2000s . A house has since been rebuilt, copying its original style.
 * Property of Ion G. Gogălniceanu at the intersection of I. Radovici and Kogălniceanu streets, a large merchant's house, with shops on the ground floor and one floor, built in 1870. The side of the building included a frontispiece decorated with a bas-relief representing two lions and a bust of Michael the Brave, Wallachian prince at the origin of the strong development of the city, and whose memory is often recalled on ancient buildings or writings related to Ploiești . It was demolished following the 1977 earthquake.
 * He drew up the plans and built much of the one-storey shops on Lipscani street, a historic and emblematic crossing and commerce place in the city, and in other streets of the city center, such as Cavafi street , in neo-classical and neo-Italian style. These buildings were kept in their original shape until the american bombings of 1944. The communist urban redevelopment, implemented from the 1960s, and thereafter the  systematization of Ceausescu have sealed their fate. They have all disappeared, as well as the street Lipscani itself. The strada Lipscani was an old, slightly curved street that ran from the heart of the city to the Palace of Justice. This artery disappeared in two stages: the first half near the Palace of Culture was demolished between 1968-1969, to make way for the current administrative city. The other half was demolished after the 1977 earthquake.
 * Toma Rucăreanu house, in 1884 . Listed as a historical monument ,it became the Sfetescu House, located on bulevard Independenței, number 19. It currently hosts the restaurant Mon Jardin.
 * The Grand Hôtel Luca Moise, as well as the adjoining theater hall, completed on October 15, 1885 . The hotel was located at the intersection of Mihail Kogălniceanu, formerly Franceză and Constantin Dobrogeanu Gherea streets, formerly Municipalității street.
 * Also around 1888, he built the large Eliade building, on the square in front of the Grand Hotel Luca Moise.
 * Bazar house on the former Bucureşti avenue, at the corner of Ştefan cel Mare street.
 * Naumescu house on the Rudului street.
 * Plans and construction of the Boulevard hotel, in 1896, which was his last work. It was placed on Union Square (Piața Unirii), had a ground floor occupied by shops, and bedrooms upstairs. After the World War I, it was leased by the financial administration of Prahova. Prahova . It has since been demolished.

Achievements as prime contractor and builder

 * Despina Doamna girls' secondary school, on Buna Vestire street, in 1890, according to the project of his brother   . Transformed into a military hospital during the Second World War from 1941 to 1943, the school was finally completely destroyed by the American bombings of April 1944.
 * Reconstruction of the Boldescu hospital, in 1893, located on Boldescu street, hospital founded in 1831 by the boyar intendant of the same name Gheorghe Bolcescu . The works were carried out according to the plans of the architect Filip Xenopol.
 * The number two schools for boys and girls.

In Prahova county

 * Sfinții voievozi church, vers 1876, located in the city center of Urlați. The painter Gheorghe Tattarescu also decorated it with many remarkable icons.
 * Restoration of the old Câmpina town hall around 1880, originally built by his father Niculae Gheorghe Socol around 1850 for the journalist , it will be taken over by the local administration, in 1877, to be transformed into a town hall. It was located at the intersection of Doftanei avenue , and of the city's central boulevard, Bulevard Carol I . It was demolished and another town hall was built on the same place in 1922.

Achievements as prime contractor and builder

 * V. Paapa school of crafts of Valea Boului, renamed  ever since.
 * Valea Călugărească village primary school.
 * Urlaţi and Sinaia hospitals.

The list is not exhaustive.
 * The military barracks of Mizil.

Achievements as prime contractor and builder

 * The Cuza-Vodă barracks , located on the Dealul Spirii, in the middle of the old historic district Uranus, completely razed by Ceausescu, to build the gigantic and highly contested "People's Palace".

Achievements as prime contractor and builder

 * The Iordache Zossimade agricultural school of Armășești, judeţ of Ialomiţa, built around 1887.

Legacy
Until 1944, a good part of the most beautiful streets of Ploiești, and the city's landmark monuments of which he is the author, were still in place, and deeply marked the face of the city, for which Toma N. Socolescu had brought the neo-classical touch of French and Italian inspiration. To this will be added the neo-Romanian style buildings, including a large production by his son Toma T. Socolescu, a great builder also in Ploiești and throughout Judet, but also art deco style constructions, even Bauhaus houses. The American bombings of 1944 will bring down an eighth of the buildings and will definitively affect the harmony of the city and its architectural eclecticism. . The earthquakes of of 1940 and 1977 also struck down the buildings of Prahova, including several by Toma N. Socolescu. However, the most significant destructions are the prerogative of the communists who will complete disfiguring the city between 1960 and 1989 by two waves of systematization. The biggest will be decided by Nicolae Ceausescu, the last communist dictator. These tablula rasa operations will often pretext the weakening of buildings by the 1977 earthquake to make them disappear, and with them the face of an era that evokes only too much of a triumphant educated bourgeoisie, and the insolent expression of a period that the new regime absolutely wanted to make people forget. However, there are still several churches and public buildings of the architect, as well as some beautiful residences. They remain emblems of the city, most of them classified as historical monuments. The works of Toma N. Socolescu remain the expression of neoclassicism in architecture.

Very well known in the city of Ploiești, the name of the architect-builder is linked to the history of a trade and oil rich city, and whose future seemed bright at the time. A high school bears his name, as well as a street: strada Arhitect Toma Socolescu.

Notes and References

 * (a) Toma T. Socolescu, Arhitectura în Ploești, studiu istoric, Editura : Cartea Românească, Bucarest, Préfacé par Nicolae Iorga, 1938, référence : 16725, 111 pages.


 * (b) Toma T. Socolescu, Manuscripts and book : Amintiri, Editura Caligraf Design, Bucharest, 2004, 1 vol., 237 pages.


 * (c) Toma T. Socolescu, Manuscripts and book: Fresca arhitecților care au lucrat în România în epoca modernă 1800 - 1925, Editura Caligraf Design, Bucharest, 2004, 1 vol., 209 pages.


 * (d), Monografia orașului Ploești, Editura : Cartea Românească, Bucharest, 1938, 905 pages.


 * Other notes and references:

Category:19th-century Romanian architects Category:People from Ploiești Category:1848 births Category:1897 deaths Category:Neoclassical architects