Orange Romania announced the reopening of the Telephone Palace (Palatul Telefoanelor), a historical monument on Calea Victoriei avenue in Bucharest built in the 1930s for telecommunications specialists. The company's goal is to bring together its teams in Bucharest in two neighboring buildings: the Tandem central office on Matei Millo Street and the Telephone Palace.

The reopening follows the June announcement of Orange's completed merger between Orange Romania S.A. (ORO) and Orange Romania Communications S.A. (OROC) through the absorption of OROC by ORO.

Between 1995 and 2001, the Telephone Palace went through extensive consolidation work, followed by a new round of construction work starting in 2018 to bring the building up to modern safety and fire regulations. Modernization work was completed in 2024, allowing operation according to current legislation. The value of the investments amounts to over EUR 7 million. 

"This year, we achieved two major milestones: the merger of Orange and Orange Romania Communications and the unification of our Bucharest teams. We are proud to revitalize the Telephone Palace and committed to preserving this architectural gem," said Julien Ducarroz, CEO of Orange Romania.

The construction of the Telephone Palace began in September 1931. The constructed area was 977 square meters, and the imposing 52-meter-tall building had a basement, ground floor, mezzanine, and 11 floors. The American architect Louis Seabury Weeks made the building plans, and the implementation and details fell under the responsibility of the Romanian architect Edmond Van Saanen-Algi.

The Art Deco building was completed in 1933, and it was considered, at the time, a real skyscraper, like those in New York. Due to its strategic importance, the inauguration, on April 24, 1933, was attended by King Charles II.

In the period 1940-1946, the Telephone Palace was raised by two floors and extended on the Matei Millo - Ion Oteteleșanu side.

The Telephone Palace is on the List of Historical Monuments of the Municipality of Bucharest.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Albertophotography/Dreamstime.com)