The boyar house, now a historical monument, located in a charming zone of Bucharest, was built in 1894, according to J.E. D’Alfonce de Saint Omer’s project, a famous French architect, at the request of the Costa-Foru family, family which, for several generations, gave prominent personalities to the Romanian society, in the 19th century and at the beginning of the 20th century. The house still transmits the nostalgia of past times to the passersby, through the typical French architecture, beautifully framed in the alley which invites you to a walk on the way to the Mitropolie. From 1894 to 1935, Maria Costa-Foru, the niece of the banker Christophi Zerlenti, and Constantin Gh. Costa-Foru, son of the first rector of the University of Bucharest, the minister of justice during the reign of Alexandru I. Cuza, lived there together with their children. The noble style of the house fits perfectly in the late XX century French genre of “particulier hotel”, defined by the theme of the colossal piano noble windows of the living room, accentuated by the decorative wrought iron elements. The inside of the house dates back in the 1900’s, with changes in the late 1930's. The dominant style is eclectic French on the upper floors, and the restructuring of the lower floors shows Moorish-Florentine influences. The main feature is represented by the generous and elegant space, very well natural lighted, the rooftops decorated with stucco, Italian style floors made by tiles with optical motifs and venetian battuto, door frames with carved pediments, the main staircase decked with white marble, the stair ramp decorated with wrought iron elements, which represent Maria Costa-Foru’s intials. Fireplaces ordered and made in Vienna can be found in all the large living rooms, one of them being made of black marble, as well as very valuable tile stoves, with a unique character. The heating system is completed by steel radiators, connected to the boiler. This architectural jewel, in which you still can find the air of the pre-war period, invites you to contemplate it in peace. You will certainly be impressed of its space and light, characteristics that bring it closer to the great universal architecture. Photo: Gabriel Ghizdavu