The Scala block on Magheru Boulevard, one of the emblematic buildings of inter-war Bucharest, has recently changed hands. The buyer of the half of the building owned by the heirs of the Bragadiru family is Daniela Schoppmeyer, majority shareholder and managing director of Faberrom, the company known for taking over a large part of the APACA platform in the 90s.
The 7-storey building, built in 1936 on a 1,180 square meter plot with a floor area of 3,165 square meters, is located next to the Ciclop and Hotel Ambasador. The block, which also housed the famous Scala Cinema, is to be reinforced with non-reimbursable funds and is included on the list of buildings at seismic risk.
Under the leadership of Danela Schoppmeyer, Faberrom last year achieved a turnover of EUR 6.2 million and a net profit of around EUR 3 million – its best result in almost two decades. In the same period, the company reduced its headcount from 858 to 66, reflecting major changes in the textile industry.
Schoppmeyer, an avid tennis player and member of the Romanian Tennis Federation, is married to German businessman Christian Schoppmeyer, currently sales director at SIMartis Telecom.
The Scala block has a prestigious history: it was designed by architect Rudolf Fränkel and inaugurated in the presence of Queen Marie, making it one of the most modern multifunctional complexes of its time. The building was nationalized in 1950 and partially returned to the Bragadiru family in 2001.
The Magheru area, ignored by investors for years, is becoming attractive again after the Julius Meinl Group recently acquired the Ambasador Hotel. Together with the reopening of the Lido hotel, this transaction signals a revitalization of the boulevard, and the Scala block has a chance to re-enter the circuit of the capital’s major landmarks.