Henrieta Delavrancea facts for kids

Henrieta Delavrancea (1897–1987) was a famous Romanian architect. She was one of the first women to study architecture in Romania. She helped shape the "modernist" style of buildings in her country. This style used new ideas and simple designs.

Biography

Early Life and Education

Henrieta Delavrancea was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1897. Her father was a well-known writer and politician. She grew up around important people. A famous architect named Ion Mincu helped guide her.

In 1913, Henrieta started studying architecture. She was one of only two girls in her class. She had to stop her studies in 1916 because of World War I.

War, Marriage, and Return to Studies

During World War I, Henrieta worked as a nurse. She married Emile Gibory in 1918. They lived in Paris for a short time. Then they moved to the mountains in Nehoiu, Romania.

In 1924, Henrieta decided to go back to school. She graduated in 1927. She was one of the first women to become a professional architect in Romania. Other pioneering women architects included Virginia Andreescu Haret and Maria Cotescu.

Designing Buildings and Homes

Even before finishing school, Henrieta designed her first house in 1921. It was called the "German House."

After graduating, she designed many different buildings. She created homes for private families and public buildings. She designed 22 seaside houses in Balcic (now Balchik, Bulgaria). These included homes for important people like Ion Pillat.

She also worked on parts of the Balchik Palace. This palace was designed for Queen Marie of Romania. Henrieta designed the Tea Pavilion and helped renovate the City Hall there.

Henrieta built 28 villas (large houses) across Romania. She worked on 5 churches, including the renovation of the New St. George Church [ro] in Bucharest. She also worked on the Snagov Palace for Prince Nicholas of Romania.

Her projects included three health facilities. These were the Institutul Clinic Fundeni [ro] and the Filantropia Hospital. She also worked on the Hygiene and Public Health Institute. Other designs included the Capitol Cinema and the French Consulate in Bucharest. She also designed the Prefecture Office in Oraviţa.

Modernist Style

Henrieta Delavrancea was a key figure in the modernist movement in architecture. This style focused on simple shapes and practical designs.

Her villas in Balcic, built between 1934 and 1938, are very famous. She used traditional Romanian ideas but made them modern. She used local stone and simple white walls. She also used special building methods to make sure the houses were strong on the coast.

In Bucharest, she designed a new, modern front for the Capitol Theatre in 1938. She also designed a villa for Professor Victor Vâlcovici. This house, built in 1937-1938, is known for its clean lines and curved corner window. It is a great example of modernist homes in Bucharest.

Later Career and Legacy

After World War II, Henrieta worked on fixing and preserving old buildings. During the communist era in Romania, private architecture was not allowed. So, she worked for the Ministry of Health for 19 years. She was part of a team that designed buildings for the state.

Henrieta Delavrancea-Gibory passed away in Bucharest in 1987. Her work has been shown in several exhibitions since then. In 2011, a book about her drawings and buildings was published. It was called Henrieta Delavrancea Gibory - arhitectură 1930-1940.

Gallery

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  Former Capitol Cinema, Bucharest (2010)