Context: After WW1 Romania's relations with Western Europe became cold, especially after 1920s peaking during the '30s. This was due to a series of factors:
- during WW1 France took the romanian fleet and sent it to Imperial Russia, vouching for the safe return of the ships and to cover all damages that might happen. Only a few ships were returned and all in a state that made them unusable.
- The Danube Commission ruled that during WW1 the Maritime Danube and the port City of Sulina would go under Austrian administration, and after the war Romania will regain control over them. This happened in the late 1930s after a long and complex process.
- During the 30s United Kingdom posted a transport embargo over Romania, considering that the new transport strategy that protected the romanian companies was colliding with british interests.
- The "war" between the European Coal and Steel Cartel lead by Germany and the romanian government that wanted to independently develop the coal and steel industry.
In this context Romania searched for new allies and finds them in Turkey, Poland, Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia. But it wasn't enough to mentain a powerful economy so the country reoriented itself towards the United States. The U.S. government and the us companies were happy to enter in a colaboration with Romania and help the country to develop. So in a short period of time the american presence in the country became more than visible. From Kelvinator and Frigidaire to Ford and Goodrich, the american products were everywhere, and by 1939 Romania obtain the license to make Santa Fe locomotives. By that time in the transport branch the national airlines company LARES was using Lockheed and Douglas planes, while factories near Bucharest were making Ford cars and trucks, Fordson tractors and Chevrolet buses. The country turned into an american enclave in Europe, with regional offices for companies like Baldwin Locomotives, Ford, Electric Auto-Lite, Link-Belt, Monroe Auto Equipment, Thompson Products, Weaver, Federal Trucks and others.
This was also reflected in the architecture, the country embracing the american style of art deco and modernism. Another interesting example of american presence in Romania was the contract given to Gustav Stickley for supplying furniture to a couple of new sanitariums that were being built all over the country.
Than the war came...and the soviet occupation. During the occupation the soviets sent all the intellectuals, businessmen and elites to jail, including many architects. After the occupation ended, the new communist government realised that they need professionals to be able to rule the country and released some of the prisoners. A unique phenomenon took place on the seaside. Architects managed to go under the radar for a short time (some of them did suffered repercussions later) and ignored the order to build in socialist style and did a series of mid-century modern structures: restaurants, bars, gas stations, shopping centers. Sadly nowadays those lovely structures are some in a high state of neglect, while others were demolished...
One of those shopping centers is the one named Perla (Pearl) in Mamaia Resort. Designed by Corneliu Dumitrescu and Aron Solari Grimberg this beautiful open-air mall had 2 large ponds, shops, an art gallery and an open air concerts venue.
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