A brief visit to the former Magazinul Universal București (Bucharest Universal Store) in Piața Roma reveals a space now reduced to a storage facility for construction materials and equipment. These are being used for the restoration of a nearby building on Gabroveni Street. Once a symbol of prosperity and consumer culture, the old department store now stands covered in graffiti and overshadowed by oversized billboards. For some, it is a relic of the so-called “Golden Age”; for others, just another canvas for street tags. But beneath this faded facade lies the extraordinary story of a man whose ambition built one of Bucharest’s most prominent commercial landmarks.
Bucur Bunescu, the man behind this iconic store, was an orphan from Săcele, near Brașov. His father, a shepherd, perished in the harsh winter of 1888 while attempting to cross the Danube during transhumance. At just 12 years old, Bucur made his way to Bucharest, finding work as a shop assistant in a textile store. Despite having only four years of formal education, he earned his employer’s trust through hard work and dedication. In time, he became a business partner, and his fortune grew rapidly. By the interwar period, he was among Romania’s wealthiest men.
In 1929, Bunescu built a five-story commercial building at 2 Bărăției Street (now I.C. Brătianu 36). A decade later, an expansion at 4-6 Bărăției Street completed what we know today as Magazinul București. His extensive real estate holdings, including numerous apartments along Calea Moșilor, were all nationalized in 1950 under the communist regime. Though he avoided prison, Bunescu lost everything. Still, he lived to be 90, maintaining a dignified lifestyle despite his losses.
Following nationalization, the former Bunescu building was transformed into Magazinul Universal București, one of the capital’s premier department stores. It offered everything—from clothing and accessories to cameras, musical instruments, and household appliances.
In more recent years, the building has been at the center of a prolonged legal dispute between the rightful heirs, SC București SA, and Marian Vanghelie, the former mayor of Sector 5. Until its fate is fully resolved, it remains trapped in limbo, concealed beneath layers of massive advertising banners, its once-proud legacy fading into obscurity.
Photos & text: Alex Iacob
Se intra usor in cladire sau este pazita in vreun fel? Si … are probleme structurale (pt. ca nu as vrea sa cada pe mn) ?
E inchisa si da, are probleme sctructurale.
au darmat-o
In prezent magazinul a fost renovat si este functional.