Facade of iconic Constanța casino revealed as delayed renovation continues

The renovated facade of the Casino in Constanța has been revealed after the teams of workers who were rehabilitating the historic monument removed the scaffolding. The facade can now be admired by tourists and locals strolling along Constanța's promenade.

The Casino is the best-known Grade A historic monument (of national and international interest) on the Romanian coastline. The restoration works of the Casino in Constanța were 67% completed in May, according to the National Investment Company. The new completion deadline for the works was projected to be at the end of March 2024, one year later than the initial deadline. The total value of the works reached over RON 236 mln, following the approval of new technical and economic indicators, as opposed to the initial value of approximately RON 90 mln, according to the CNI website cited by G4Media.

The Grade A historic monument underwent renovations at the beginning of 2020, following almost a decade of bureaucratic delays. In August, it was discovered that the structure of the Casino was much more damaged than initially believed. The architects couldn't anticipate the extent of the structure's degradation because that would have required fully uncovering large portions of the monument before the actual start of the works.

In the year 2000, Constanța City Hall took over the Casino from the state company Litoral SA and attempted to find solutions for restoring the already deteriorated historic monument, with the last restoration being carried out in 1986. Several options were explored. Initially, the concession option for 49 years was chosen, with the new owners being obligated to invest in the restoration of the historic monument. An Israeli firm took over the contract, but after three years without making any investments, it was terminated. The former mayor Radu Mazăre tested the idea of selling the historic monument, leading to protests.

Starting in 2011, the Casino became entangled in a back-and-forth between the City Hall and the Ministry of Development. In 2015, funds were allocated for the first time for the restoration of the monument – EUR 8.5 mln, and legal procedures began. For three years, as many tenders were canceled after several appeals from participating companies were accepted by courts.

In 2018, after the cancellation of the third tender, a team of experts from Europa Nostra and the European Investment Bank came to Constanța, after the Casino was listed among the 7 most endangered sites in Europe, according to the Association Arche. The experts compiled a technical report highlighting the deficiencies of the restoration project, criticizing the superficial agreement between the City Hall and the CNI, but, perhaps more importantly, indicating that the sum provided by the CNI was far too small for the restoration of the Casino. The restoration documentation was revised, the budget was adjusted, and the CNI launched the fourth tender, which was awarded to a consortium of companies led by Aedificia Carpați. The result was contested but the effort was rejected, and the construction work began.