Orange Romania Reopens Bucharest’s Iconic Palatul Telefoanelor

Orange Romania has reopened the historic Palatul Telefoanelor (Phones Palace), located on Calea Victoriei, no. 35, at the heart of Bucharest’s “Creative District.” Orange’s goal is to bring its Bucharest teams together in two adjacent buildings: Tandem, its headquarters on Matei Millo St. no. 5, and Palatul Telefoanelor, a landmark building originally built in the 1930s for telecommunications specialists.

This initiative follows Orange’s announcement in June regarding the completion of a legal merger between Orange Romania S.A. (ORO) and Orange Romania Communications S.A. (OROC), with ORO absorbing OROC. The merged entity continues Orange’s aim to become the leading integrated provider of fixed-mobile services in Romania, catering to both residential and business segments.

Between 1995 and 2001, Palatul Telefoanelor underwent extensive structural strengthening, and from 2018 onward, additional construction work was carried out to finalize reinforcements and upgrade the building to meet modern fire safety and structural standards. The modernization was completed in 2024, enabling the building to operate in line with current regulations. The total investment exceeded 7 million euros.

“This year, we achieved two significant goals – the merger between Orange and Orange Romania Communications and the unification of our teams in Bucharest. We are proud to have revived Palatul Telefoanelor and aware of the responsibility we hold to preserve this iconic building. As a historic monument, reopening Palatul Telefoanelor required considerable effort and significant investment. At the same time, history calls us to innovate and achieve new successes here, in a place where telecommunications have driven change and modernization in Romania,” stated Julien Ducarroz, CEO of Orange Romania.

Palatul Telefoanelor, an iconic building

Construction of Palatul Telefoanelor began in September 1931. Covering a built area of 977 square meters and reaching a height of 52 meters, the impressive building included a basement, ground floor, mezzanine, and 11 floors. The architectural plans were crafted by American architect Louis Seabury Weeks, with Romanian architect Edmond Van Saanen-Algi overseeing the implementation and details.

Completed in 1933 in Art Deco style, the building was then considered a true skyscraper, akin to those in New York. Due to its strategic importance, the building’s inauguration on April 24, 1933, was attended by King Carol II.

From 1940 to 1946, Palatul Telefoanelor was extended with two additional floors and an expansion along Matei Millo-Ion Oteteleșanu.

Between 1995 and 2001, the building underwent extensive reinforcement, followed by further construction starting in 2018 to complete necessary reinforcements and modernize the building in line with updated fire safety and structural standards. The modernization was completed in 2024, enabling the building to reopen in compliance with current legislation.

Palatul Telefoanelor is listed among the Historic Monuments of Bucharest and is located within Protected Zone No. 16, “Symbolic Street of the City – Calea Victoriei,” enjoying maximum protection. The architectural-urbanistic, historical, and natural environmental values are protected in their entirety, including street structure, built heritage, urban character, and value.