Everyone knows today that the Athenaeum was born from the initiative of Romanians with a soul helped by the generosity of the public and that the author of the project is the French architect Albert Galéron. But few know how this beautiful call was launched: “Give a leu for the Athenaeum!” Even fewer know that in the establishment of the technical-functional and aesthetic conception of this monumental construction, a significant contribution comes from some personalities of Romanian architecture and engineering, and that the edifice was erected in less than 16 months.
Founded in 1865, on the initiative of Constantin Esarcu (pictured right), the “Romanian Athenaeum” Society established itself as a permanent fixture in the cultural life of the country. However, the perspective of a Athenaeum’s own premises only opens with the first donation made by Scarlat Rosetti “for the creation of a public library in this capital”, suggesting that the competitors should orientate their plans according to the model of the new Palace of the Imperial Library in Paris . These formalities prolonged the start of the construction – and, after the death of Scarlat Rosetti, the amount available (200,000 lei-gold) was not enough to build a place in the conditions that C. Esarcu had thought, who wanted it as “the edifice intended for Art and Science to be monumental”.
A ball was organized at the National Theater on the evening of November 30, 1885, after which 12,300 tickets were bought for one leu. It was also then that the call that made history was launched: “Give a leu for the Athenaeum”.
After the problem of the funds and the place was solved, the commission for the execution of the premises, in order to expedite the works, retained the preliminary design presented by the French architect Albert Galéron. But he submits it to the expertise of a committee made up of resonant names of our technical life at that time. Through the analysis made, the commission reached a series of conclusions that imposed radical changes in the draft. These are the ones that, in the end, led to the creation of a functional, aesthetic edifice with a remarkable degree of durability and safety, something fully confirmed by the implacable arbiter of time with its vicissitudes.
In order to be able to start the works, on September 1, 1886 Albert Galéron presents part of the requested additions and a memo in which he shows that “in order to preserve a monumental aspect of the edifice, the systems of using the metal skeleton on the masonry”, further emphasizing that “this skeleton is a very solid assembly and particularly suitable for countries subject to earthquakes”.
The hall has a ceiling above it, suspended by means of tie rods (steel bars) from the metal framework of the dome. The frame of this dome, remarkable for its form and simplicity of construction, as well as for its elegance and lightness, is made of mild steel. It consists of 20 radially arranged rafters, central closing ring and “warming” rings. The rafters consist of a tin heart and two angle brackets, forming a T-section. They rest at the top on the closing ring and at the bottom on the wall.
The central dome, covered with zinc, ends with an ornamental crown from which the tripod emerges, reminiscent of a masterpiece of Greek architecture – the choragic monument of Lysicrates (also called the “lantern of Demosthenes”), symbolizing the award given to the Hellenic victors in poetic, oratory and artistic struggles.
The best quality materials were used for the exterior and interior finishing works, and the execution was entrusted to skilled craftsmen and artists. Let us only remember that the execution of the four Carrara marble staircases was contracted to the sculptor C. Storck, who, however, was asked to submit “a small sample of a ready-made staircase” before the work began.
The stucco work for the marble imitation on the columns of the central rotunda is the work of the Axerio brothers from Slănic Prahova (who also had a reputable plaster factory), for which they were awarded the Knight’s Cross medal.
On February 14, 1888, at 8:30 o’clock in the evening, the series of annual conferences opened in the new premises, in a small hall on the ground floor, for the great hall was not yet finished inside. The construction will be completed in 1889.
