The House Fântâneanu built in the first half of the nineteenth century belonged to the family by that name in Slatina, whose members have held important positions in the public life of the city.
Today is owned by the the Bishopric of Slatina and Romanaţi.
The house is built in eclectic style with classical elements, with a program of “mansion” adapted to the urban environment. At the the facade has prominencences and at the windows has framings. You can observe frontons with floral elements, grooved columns of stucco and Corinthian capitels, frieze with cogs and garlands. Particularly valuable was the ironmongery of the balcony, made from wrought iron, with “art nouveaux” influences, which no longer exists since 2007.
The House Fântâneanu was built somewhere in the early nineteenth century. Between the time of construction and the year 1846, the house belonged to the family Lânaru. In 1846 the house became the property of family Fântâneanu.
Initially, the building has functioned over time as the headquarters of the prefecture of the county or, subsequently even as elderly house. After the establishement of communist regime in Romania in 1948, the building was nationalized and served as headquarters for several county institutions. After 1990 until 1998, this house was the headquarters Agricultural Direction of Olt County.
The name of the house is connected to the Fântâneanu family , a family of philanthropists from Slatina which has always known how to give to the local community a share from their wealth. The Fântâneanu family , Ioan and Elena had important positions in the city.
We meet Ioan in 1848, also, in urban and communal affairs.
They had a son and three daughters.
Ion Fântâneanu was the son, he even became senator in the Romanian Parliament somewhere in the late nineteenth century. It was a family of great philanthropists, especially Elena Fântâneanu. She died in 1890 in Bucharest and before her death she made a will in which she left an amount of money to the urban commune, Slatina. This money to be used to build a home for poor women “Elena Fântâneanu”.
In December 1915 Ion Fântâneanu makes his will and, having no children, lets the Fântâneanu houses to the urban commune, Slatina, to be rented and from the rent revenues to be endowed two poor women for marrying, every year. The testament said that the City Hall will take possession of the house after his wife’s death.