$773,500

On December 29 th 1911, Apostol P Papadopol requested a construction permit for the development of a new theater in Galati, on Domneasca Street, next to Cavaliotti. Apostol Papadopol was a walthy merchant of Galati, owner of several important buildings in the city and also all around the county, former Senate Representative, decorated with “The Crown of Romania” in 1897 and with “The Star of Romania” in 1902. But above all he was a great philanthropist and was known for donating plenty of his properties and large amounts of money to the City Hall of Galati, to the local hospitals and to the Romanian Academy. After his death in 1914, the property goes into the possession of Ioan D. Prodrom, a close relative and a former business partner of Papadopol. Future mayor of Galati and future head of the county, senator of Romania and a prosperous businessman himself. Under his ownership, the building enters the cultural life of Galati as Odeon Theater and quickly becomes one of the major atractions of the city. “Odeon Theater – the moist elegant theater in Galati – can be rented for theater plays, shows, literary meetings or even balls” , this is how the building is described in the 1930-1931 “ Annuary of the city of Galati” edited by Radu Volbura. Here the major movie productions of those times were played and the conditions were quite hip for that time: “At the ground floor there were two stalls and a reserved area, the scene and the area for the orchestra. At the mezzanine there were the boxes for the very wealthy, separated by walls meant to protect their privacy and comfort. The balconies were only placed on the eastern side, while the ceiling , the boxes and the scene area used to have beautiful decorations with vegetal and antropomorphic motifs. The same motifs decorate the main façade even now, freshly and beautifully renovated. After the communist forced takeover, the theater changed its name to “Cinema Republica”, the name that most of the people of today’s Galati remember it by. Today the building still has the original architectural elements, with a a façade that is fully renovated and an interior that is still waiting to get a new life as a cinema or theater as it once was, or to be transformed into something totally new, as a restaurant, events hall or cultural center.