Interwar building in central Bucharest to be demolished, converted into Holocaust Museum

The office building of the former tire manufacturer Banloc-Goodrich in central Bucharest will be demolished for the construction of the Holocaust Museum, Profit.ro reported. The investment, valued at EUR 54.2 million, is partly covered by the EU-backed Recovery and Resilience Fund, with EUR 17.7 million.

The building, located on the central Calea Victoriei in Bucharest, will reportedly be replaced with a museum that will host an original train car used in the deportations during the Iași Pogrom.

The Banloc-Goodrich building was constructed between 1943–1946, in the Art Deco style, according to the project of architect Octav Doicescu (1902–1981).

It is made up of two buildings, designated as A and B. The first one was designed by Octav Doicescu and executed by contractor Emil Prager between 1943–1946, while the other was added between 1967–1968 as a six-story extension.

Building B was designed to serve as office space, and during the communist regime, it was assigned to various state institutions. Since 2004, it has been unused, being in an advanced state of degradation at the moment.

The government has reportedly prepared a decision for the demolition of Building B, which has a high risk of major damage in the event of an earthquake, with a structural safety degree estimated at 45–55%. It was affected by the major earthquakes of 1977, 1986, and 1990, and the lack of significant structural interventions led to further degradation of the load-bearing elements.

Meanwhile, Building A will be remodeled and converted.

The new building will use modern structural solutions compliant with current standards, and after completion and acceptance of the works, the property will return to the public domain of the state, to be used as essential infrastructure for the National Museum of the History of the Jews and the Holocaust in Romania.

The reconstruction will take place on the same ground footprint and with the same height regime (ground floor + 6 floors). The investment project will span three years, and will create 61 permanent jobs and approximately 240 temporary workers during execution and design.

In 2016, the National Institute for the Study of the Holocaust in Romania “Elie Wiesel” was designated by the government to coordinate the organization of the National Museum of the History of the Jews and the Holocaust in Romania. The Banloc-Goodrich building was then transferred to the administration of the institute.