Cristofi Cerchez
| Cartofi Cerchez | |
|---|---|
| Born |
4 July 1872 Băneasa-Herăstrău, Romania |
| Died | 1955 (aged 82–83) |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1898–1945 |
| Notable work | Stătescu Villa |
Cristofi Cerchez (4 July 1872 – 1955) was a Romanian engineer and architect. He built approximately 50 buildings in various cities of Romania over his nearly 50-year career. His architecture covers a wide range of styles from traditional to eclectic to modern, as well as private, civic and religious edifices. Among the buildings he worked on were the Bucharest Palace of Justice, the State Archives wing of the Mihai Vodă Monastery, the monastery of Vălenii de Munte and the Nicolae Minovici Folk Art Museum.
Cristofi Cerchez was born on 4 July 1872, in the village of Băneasa-Herăstrău. He attended schools in Turnu Măgurele and Alexandria, and then continued his studies in Bucharest at Mihai Viteazul Lyceum. In 1894, he graduated from the School of Bridges and Roads and was given a scholarship by Elena Turnescu to continue his studies in Milan. Between 1895 and 1898, Cerchez attended the Polytechnic University of Milan.
The first known building designed by Cerchez is the "Stătescu Villa", built in Câmpulung and owned by the liberal politician Eugeniu Stătescu. The building, located at No. 38/43 Lascăr Catargiu Street, was designed and built between 1898 and 1900, though it has had subsequent remodels. In 1918, it was donated by Cecilia Petrescu Stătescu to establish the Eforiei Civil Hospital. "Stătescu Villa" was declared a historic monument and is included on the List of Historical Monuments in 2004 and 2010 as an architectural monument of local importance, with classification code LMI code AG-II-mB-13521.
Between 1900 and 1901, he was employed in the technical service of Constanța. In 1903, Cerchez began designing a house for his friend Dr. Nicolae Minovici. Minovici wanted something unique to house his large collection of folk art and bought property at the edge of town. In 1904, Cerchez began work on the "first house in the Romanian folk style", which took a year to build. Each room was designed for a specific category of artifact. Cerchez's "Minovici Villa" was built in a style influenced by Ion Mincu's traditional Romanian architecture, but it had sculptural elements reminiscent of Petre Antonescu's style, which soon became very popular with the aristocracy of Bucharest. In 1936, Minovici donated his collections and property to the city of Bucharest. In the deed he specified that it was to be maintained in perpetuity as the Nicolae Minovici Folk Art Museum (Muzeul de Artă Populară "Dr. Nicolae Minovici").
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