(born ') was a 19th-century Romanian neoclassical and baroque architect.
Originally from Transylvania, then part of Austria-Hungary, and born in the village of Berivoiul Mare in the FÃÂgÃÂraàregion, he settled in Wallachia (Romania), in the city of PloieÃÂti, along with his four brothers, all builders, around 1840âÂÂ1846. He studied architecture in Vienna. In 1846, he began his career as an architect and master builder. After leaving the Austro-Hungarian Empire for Romania, he changed his name to ' upon his arrival in PloieÃÂti. He became one of the leading architects and builders in Prahova County in the mid-19th century. He died in 1872 and was buried in the courtyard of the Sfântul Spiridon Church in PloieÃÂti.
The family of ', formerly part of FÃÂgÃÂraàor ÃÂara FÃÂgÃÂraÃÂului is a branch of the family of Muntenia, which lived in the county of DâmboviÃÂa. A , great boyar and son-in-law of Mihai Viteazul (1557âÂÂ1601), had two religious foundations in DâmboviÃÂa county, still existing, CorneÃÂti and RÃÂzvadu de Sus. He built their churches and another one in the suburb of TârgoviÃÂte. This boyar married , daughter of , also known as , sister of Prince Antonie-VodÃÂ. was recognized by as his illegitimate daughter, following an extra-marital liaison with . is buried in the church of RÃÂzvadu de Sus, where, on a richly carved stone slab, her name can be read.
Nicolae Iorga, the great Romanian historian and friend of Toma T. Socolescu, found ancestors among the founders of the City of in the 12th century. In 1655, the Prince of Transylvania George II Rákóczi ennobled an ancestor of Nicolae G. Socol: ", and through him his wife , his son , 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 come to Muntenia, from , in the territory of . One of the brothers was architect (??-1872). He settled in around 1840-1845, and named himself '. He married , from the suburb. He had a daughter (died in infancy) and four sons, two of whom became major architects: Toma N. Socolescu and . The lineage of architects continues with Toma T. Socolescu, and his son Toma Barbu Socolescu.
The historian, cartographer and geographer evokes, in 1891, the presence of Romanian boyars of the first rank ', in Bucharest, descendants of from . Finally, Constantin Stan also refers, in 1928, to the precise origin of Nicolae Gheorghe Socol :
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The period when settled in Wallachia corresponds to a political and cultural will, widely shared across the country, to move closer to the West and distance itself from Eastern culture. A genuine desire to assimilate Western values permeated Romanian society. Architecture was one of the most visible expressions of this shift. The demand for Neoclassical or Baroque constructions, styles popular in Western Europe, quickly prevailed over others. This was reinforced by the favorable context of a city undergoing rapid economic and commercial growth, with the construction of the first factories and oil refineries.<br/> Applying the concepts and style he learned during his architectural studies in Vienna, âÂÂs works are neo-classical and neo-Gothic but also eclectics. He was the first Romanian architect to settle in , practicing architecture in the region for 30 years as early as 1840. Most of the architects working 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. The first architectural training in the country dates only from 1864, with the creation of the Architecture section within the School of Fine Arts, a section founded by architect Alexandru OrÃÂscu. The architect responded to a strong demand for Westernization and also for the transformation of traditional inns (han) into more comfortable houses with upper floors, or even high-end hotels. He also built numerous shops and stores for the merchants of PloieÃÂti. He was also one of the founders and builders of the Church, in the suburb near the city center, where he lived.
The absence of archives and written records 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 PloieÃÂti, and particularly his research around 1937 in the archives of the city court and the town hall, aimed at finding conclusive elements on the old constructions, allows for the attribution of other works to the architect. The author of the study, a keen expert on Romanian architecture from the 18th century onwards, analyzes the style of the buildings and relies on testimonies from descendants:
We can thus list the works attributed to by Toma T. Socolescu:
Influenced by Austrian classical and baroque styles that he observed in Vienna, remains a neoclassical architect. In Romania, within the architectural world, he is among the first active Romanian architects of the 19th century. He contributed to the country's modernization movement in architecture and civil construction. Like many of his contemporaries, all trained in Western Europe, he introduced to Romania what he had seen and learned during his stay in Vienna. Western styles, culturally distinctâÂÂneoclassical, Neoclassical, Baroque, Italian or Neo-Gothic were highly sought after by the merchants of Prahova, his primary clients, who were also eager to Westernize and detach themselves from the oriental influence, particularly that of their former protector, the Ottoman Empire, from which the country was then in the process of liberating itself. left his mark on PloieÃÂti with his style for nearly 100 years (1846 to 1944), and his work, exemplified by the Carol Hotel, remained visible until 1980, before the communist systematization under CeauÃÂescu.
Unfortunately, nearly all of his works were destroyed or radically altered over time, due to the tragic events that Romania had to endure and the modernizations of the 20th century. The construction of the Central Market Halls (1929-1935) first required the demolition of some of his works. It was the American bombings of 1944 that destroyed a significant portion of his creations, many of which were still standing at the time. Finally, the communist systematization delivered the final blow, erasing almost all visible traces of his architectural work. The only remaining example is the building of the former 'CÃÂlugÃÂru' inn in PloieÃÂti.
However, laid the foundations for the creative and innovative work of his descendants: , and then . His financial stability also provided a stepping stonee for his two sons, who continued his architectural legacy: Ion N. Socolescu and Toma N. Socolescu, and made a significant impact on Romanian architecture.