Drawing of Toma Barbu Socolescu (fontains) – 1st mention at Delaon Prize in 1938.
Graduated in architecture from the École nationale supérieure des beaux-arts of Paris in 1939.[1] He was admitted to the 2nd class on July 10, 1934, winning two 3rd medals in construction and ornamental design, then to the 1st class on November 4, 1936, winning a 2nd medal in rendered design.
Before and during his studies, Toma Barbu Socolescu worked on the interior design of the transatlantic liner Normandie in 1932-1935[1][2][e 1] in Roger-Henri Expert's studio.
His first steps were taken alongside his father Toma T. Socolescu, in the 1940s, with whom he worked on several projects in the Prahova Judet: plans for a locomotive depot in Ploiești as well as the systematization plans for Câmpina and Mizil.[3][e 2] His first appointment was as a university assistant at the Ion Mincu Institute of Architecture (Bucharest) in 1939, a post he held until 1951.[1][2] According to his declaration in his registration file with the Directorate of Higher Education in 1940, he was then on 12 months' military service with the rank of second lieutenant in the Romanian army.[3]
He spent the rest of his career working on industrial architecture and large-scale civil buildings.[d 1] From 1942 to 1945, he was Design Architect at the C.A.M (Cassa Autonomă a Monopolurilor Regatului României),[4] a position he would still assume from 1949 to 1951 at the IPC (Institute of Design and Construction). From 1952 to 1958, he was chief design architect at the Institute of Design for Industrial Constructions (IPCI), while also working externally for the Ministry of Local Economy,[5][2] building canteens, housing and administrative pavilions. He pursued his expertise as chief design architect at the Institute of Design for Petroleum Refineries or Institutul de Proiectari pentru Instalatii Petroliere (IPIP SA) from 1958 to 1960. Finally, from 1960 to 1967, he worked as a consultant architect at the Institute of Design for Food Industries (IPIA) or Institutul de Proiectare al Industriei Alimentare.[6][e 1] He ended his career as a professor at the Technical School of Architecture and Town Building (Școala Tehnică de Arhitectură și Construcția Orașelor) of Bucharest, from 1967 to 1970.[7][6][d 1]
Barbu Socolescu built a number of industrial projects, including a large-scale canning factory at Ovidiu near Constanța, from 1959 to 1965, a site which would later house the country's first Pepsi-Cola plant.[e 2][d 1]
Also a painter, he exhibited his watercolors at an exhibition organized by the Union of Architects of the Socialist Republic of Romania in Bucharest in 1954.[6][e 2]
Toma Barbu's career was more modest than his abilities would have suggested, as his family suffered political persecution. The Romanian political police monitored him for much of his career, as they did his father. He was prosecuted for demonstrations hostile to the State and summoned several times by the Securitate.[e 1] As he was not considered dangerous to the regime, the prosecution had no follow-up.[8]
Drawing of Toma Barbu Socolescu (gardens) - 1st mention at Delaon Prize in 1938.
Contests
1937: First prize for the sketch competition for a casino project for the Astra Română refinery, in Ploiești, co-directed with his father Toma T. Socolescu - Ploiești.[2][e 3]
Société des Architectes Diplômés par le Gouvernement Français[9] since 1939.[1]
Society of Certified Architects and Corporation of Romanian Architects in 1939.[6]
Society of Romanian Architects from 1939 to 1946.[6]
Architects Union of Romanian Socialist Republic since 1953.[6]
Genealogy
The Socol family of Berivoiul-Mare[ro], formerly part of Făgăraș or 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,[10] 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,[11] her name can be read.
Nicolae Iorga, the great Romanian historian and friend of Barbu's father Toma T. Socolescu, found Socol ancestors among the founders of the City of Făgăraș in the 12th century.[b 1] 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.",[b 2] 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 [...]".[b 2][b 3] Around 1846, five Socol[b 4] come to Muntenia, from Berivoiu Mare[ro], 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[ro], 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[a 1][c 1]."
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 (died in infancy) and four sons,[a 2][c 2] 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,[e 4] 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[ro] [...], 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[e 5]."
Administrative premises, staff accommodation and warehouses from Cassa Autonomă a Monopolurilor Regatului României[4]in Fălticeni, Suceava County, in 1943.
Various works for the Medgidia and Fieni cement plants: mechanical workshop, cement paste tank, canteen, administrative pavilion, in 1951
Many other industrial constructions until 1966, including a vegetable canning factory in Ovidiu, near Constanța.
A slaughterhouse in Ploiești, 1958.
A canning factory in Tecuci (Romanian Moldavia), 1958.[e 7]
Several other industrial buildings until 1966, including the large Ovidiu vegetable canning factory (later Munca Ovidiu) at Ovidiu near Constanța in 1962[d 3]. The project actually stretched from 1955 to 1966. In 1966, the plant was expanded to accommodate a Pepsi-Cola bottling line,[12][d 1] one of only two production units in the country, the other being in Bucharest. The factory went bankrupt in 2005 and was dissolved.[13] The entire factory has been emptied of its machine tools, and only the building and its metal structures remain clearly recognizable (in April 2024), despite extensions and modifications. It is located in a square bounded by the strada Tulcea and the strada Intrarea petrolului.
Conceived but unimplemented architectural projects
Sketch of a casino project for the Astra Româna refinery, Ploiești, Romania, 1937.
(in Romanian), Arhitectura journal,[15] published by the SOCIETY OF ROMANIAN ARCHITECTS,[16] published from 1906 to 1944. During the Communist period, it changed its name twice: Arhitectura RPR from 1960 to 1968, then Arhitectura again from 1968., București, published from 1906 to 1944.[17] During the Communist period, it changed its name twice: Arhitectura RPR from 1960 to 1968, then Arhitectura again from 1968.
(in English)International Who's who in Art and Antiques - Second Edition, Ernest Kay (Directeur Editorial), Great Britain, Melrose Press Ltd, 1976, 525 p. ISBN0-900332-37-9.
Archives of the Paris School of Fine Arts / AGORHA - Plateforme de données de la recherche de l'Institut national d'histoire de l'art / Dictionnaire des élèves architectes de l’École des beaux-arts de Paris (1800-1968)Dictionary database, Paris.
Arhitectura journal (contemporary edition): Thematic dossier dedicated to industrial heritage, including an article by Ioana Irina Iamandescu (The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage), Deputy director of the National Heritage Institute, responsible for historical monuments, dated Octobre 2018 - Patrimoniul industrial în România - despre stadiul inventarierii specializate.
National Heritage Institute (Institutul Național al Patrimoniului), specialized page on industrial heritage: Patrimoniu industrial și tehnic.
Notes and references
(a) (in Romanian)Socolescu, Toma T. (1938). "Preface by Nicolae Iorga". Arhitectura în Ploești, studiu istoric[Architecture in Ploești, historical study] (in Romanian). Bucharest: Cartea Românească. 16725.
"My grandfather, Nicolae Gh. Socolescu, also an architect, having finished his studies in Vienna, was a descendant of a family that, through a distant ancestor, had obtained a noble rank, in 1655, from G. Rakoczy. The original document written in calfskin, in Latin, with gold letters and the family emblem in colors, laced and bearing the princely seal in red wax, is in the possession of Major S. Socol, former mayor of the city of Făgăraș, where he lives." (Translated from Romanian)
"N. G. Socolescu (Socol, in Ardeal) came to Muntenia from the Berivoiu Mare[ro] commune, located at the foot of the mountains in the Făgăraș region, and settled in Ploiesti, together with his five other brothers, - around the revolution, around 1846, - namely in Sf. Spiridon outskirts. During my childhood and until later, there was his house in Culea Căleni, a ground-floor house, square-shaped, set back from the street and surrounded by a garden. He married Ioana, born Săndulescu, from the same suburb, and his name appears among the founders in the parish registers; and as was customary at the time, I believe he was also buried there - although the searches I made were unsuccessful - in 1872." (Translated from Romanian)
(d) (in Romanian) SOCIETY OF ROMANIAN ARCHITECTS (SAR),[16] journal of architecture Arhitectura, published from 1906 to 1944. During the Communist period, it changed its name twice: Arhitectura RPR from 1960 to 1968, then Arhitectura again from 1968.
1 2 3 4 5 6 in Arhitectura journal, the architect's obituary published in 1977, p. 8.
↑ Arhitectura journal, Grupul administrativ al fabricilor UCEA, 1943-1944, years IX-X, p. 31.
1 2 (in Romanian)Arhitectura RPR journal, Arh Barbu Socolescu, Fabrica de conserve Ovidiu din Constanta, 1964, year XII, Nr2, pp. 5-7.
↑ p. 17 - Dimitrie Papazoglu, Istoria fondărei orașului București, București, Curtea Veche, 2005, p. 59.
↑ translation from Romanian of extracts from passages quoted on page 17 - Constantin Stan, Şcoala poporană din Făgăraş şi depe Târnave, Volumul.I, Făgăraşul. Sibiu, Tiparul institutului de arte Grafice “Dacia Traiană”, 1928, p. 150-152.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Biography of the architect available on the AGORHA (Plateforme de données de la recherche de l'Institut national d'histoire de l'art) website: Crosnier Leconte, Marie-Laure. "Socolescu, Toma Barbu". AGORHA - Institut national d’histoire de l’art (in French). Ploiești. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
1 2 3 4 5 6 (in Romanian) Registration file with the RPR Union of Architects, February 25, 1953, approval minutes of April 3 and 10, 1953, p. 2.
1 2 (in Romanian) UAR archives, Ministry of National Education, Cults and the Arts, Directorate General of Higher Education, Registration file and review board, Ref 1034/1940, sheet 429-2.
1 2 3 translation: Autonomous House of Monopolies of the Kingdom of Romania.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Kay, Ernest, ed. (1976). International Who's who in Art and Antiques - Second Edition. London: Melrose Press Ltd. p.358. ISBN0-900332-37-9.
↑ (in Romanian) Archives CNSAS - Consiliul Naţional pentru Studierea Arhivelor Securităţii (National Council for the Study of Security Archives), file 53442 Barbu Socolescu, decision of the military prosecutor's office of November 2, 1965.
↑ French association: Society of Architects Graduated by the French Government.
↑ "Mihai Viteazul". Enciclopedia României (in Romanian). Bucharest: EnciclopediaRomâniei.ro. Retrieved September 19, 2024..
↑ Slavonic inscription on the cross on the tombstone of Răzvadu de Sus: " Died, the servant of God Marula, Master of the Royal Court, Lady of Messire Socol, former Grand Master of the Royal Court, daughter of the late Prince Mihai and Lady Tudora, in the year 1647, during the reign of Prince Ion Matei Basarab in 17 December, around the tenth hour of the night, solar calendar of the 21st year ", according to the Romanian translation done by G.D Florescu in 1944 from an original slavon version: " A răposat roaba lui Dumnezeu Marula clucereasa jupanului Socol fost mare clucer, fiică a răposatului Io Mihai Voevod și a jupînesei Tudora la anul 1647 în zilele lui Ion Matei Basarab voevod în luna decembrie 17 zile spre al zecilea ceas din noapte crugul solar temelia 21 ". (in Romanian) Source: G.D. Florescu, Idem, Un sfetnic al lui Matei Basarab, ginerele lui Mihai Viteazul, in Revista istorică română, XI–XII, 1941–1942, pp. 88–89.
↑ (in Romanian) Press releases: - Munca Ovidiu, intra în faliment (Munca Ovidiu goes bankrupt), Darius Martinescu, Romania Libera newspaper, 24/06/2005 - Munca Ovidiu, intra în faliment. - Fabrica „Munca Ovidiu”, taiata la fier vechi ("Munca Ovidiu" factory, scrapped), Darius Martinescu, Romania Libera newspaper, 26/10/2005 - Fabrica „Munca Ovidiu”, taiata la fier vechi. - Faliment la Munca Ovidiu (Bankrupt at Muca Ovidiu), Lavinia Siclitaru, Ziua de Constanța newspaper, 18/11/2005 - Faliment la Munca Ovidiu.
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