The commune of Râfov, near Ploiești, is probably most famous for the Costache Cantacuzino Mansion, one of the most spectacular mansions with Brâncovenesc elements in southern Romania, unfortunately now in an advanced state of disrepair.
However, just a few hundred meters away, at the end of a chestnut tree alley that brings to mind elegant carriages crossing it in their time, we catch sight of the spectacular architectural elements of another building that brings the charm of the early century.
The Angelescu Mansion, built in the interwar period, belongs to a noble family with family ties to the Cantacuzino lineage, who at the beginning of this century owned a significant estate in this part of the village. The architecture of the mansion is interesting because it combines Art Deco elements, already present in the interwar constructions in Bucharest of that time, with traditional neo-Romanian elements more commonly seen in the entire southern area during the previous period.
The mansion is charming, with many very aesthetically pleasing elements: the glazed area that marks the entire staircase with a tower-like appearance on the main facade, the entrance flanked by a small portico framed by two pillars marking a wide trilobed arch, the beautifully decorated wooden pillars with traditional elements guarding the balconies, or the decorative pillars that adorned the veranda on the side facade. Although structurally in relatively good condition, the mansion will require a general renovation before it can be used, both on the exterior and especially on the interior.
The estate of the mansion is truly generous, with no less than 8,797 square meters of land where, besides the beautiful alley with old trees providing access, we find an orchard full of all kinds of fruit-bearing trees, a vegetable garden suitable for organic farming, a garage for two cars, and a whole series of annex buildings that can be transformed into useful space depending on the intended use of this property: an annex building, former bedrooms, with a footprint of 201 square meters, the former dining room with 68 square meters, the former storage room with 94 square meters, the former kitchen with 56 square meters, to which a cellar is added.
Relatively close to Bucharest, with easy access from both DN1 and the highway, the interwar mansion in Râfov can quickly become a weekend or vacation residence with a lot of personality and charm, or it can be transformed, as the case may be, into a tourist or cultural project.