152
CERCUL MILITAR NAŢIONAL
Because of the difficult circumstances, the review
ceased publication in May 1877. It was resumed in
1883, but this time the initiative did not come from
the Military Club. The publication continued to appear
until 1914, being one of the most important tribunes
for Romanian military writing.
After the War of Independence, the officers’ Mili-
tary Club from the Bucharest garrison resumed its ac-
tivity in the attempt of overcoming the inherent diffi-
culties of such a demarche. The library was established
– with the number of books steadily growing, both
through acquisitions and donations –, the scientific,
sport and cultural activities diversified and the mate-
rial base improved. All these elevated the standing of
the institution, which gradually became a cultural and
social point of reference both for the military and the
civilian elite from the “Little Paris”, as Bucharest was
called during those times. King Carol I, crown prince
Ferdinand and other members of the royal family sup-
ported the Military Club in various ways, inclusively by
participating to some of the activities.
An important initiative consisted in the High De-
cree no. 1612 of March 18, 1896, by which King Carol I
promulgated the law adopted by the Parliament con-
ferring the military clubs in Bucharest, Iaşi, Craiova and
Galaţi the status of “legal persons, as institutions that
work for the general interest of the army”.
From the very beginning, the military clubs were
confronted with one difficult obstacle, namely finding
a proper location. As they were established at the ini-
tiative of the officers and financed mainly from sub-
scriptions, the military authorities did not have the
obligation to offer a location for their functioning. As
a consequence, the military clubs often functioned in
rented spaces that sometimes did not live up to the
expectations. In some cases, they were situated at the
outskirts or even outside towns, something that rep-
resented a serious setback to their activity.
The issue of finding a proper space for the Military
Club of the officers from the Bucharest garrison was
raised from the beginning. The first such space was
rented in the Eforiei building, on Queen Elisabeta Bou-
levard. Then, in April 1897, the Military Club moved to
Greuceanu House, located at the crossing between
Victoriei Street and Queen Elisabeta Boulevard, near
Doamnei Church. At the beginning of the 20
th
cen-
tury, the Military Club rented the famous Oteteleşanu
House, which was later demolished (in the 1930s) and
replaced with the Telephone Palace.
The idea of owning a building first appeared in
1889 and belonged to General Eraclie Arion, the com-
mander of the Second Army Corps, whose headquar-
ters was located in Bucharest. It was fierily debated by
the officer ranks, the views being divided. Some were
enthusiastic about the erection of a monumental
building, others rejected it, invoking the major diffi-
culties it presupposed (finding the plot of land, funds,
technical expertise, etc.).
The idea received a boost once the Military Club
received the status of legal person of public interest.
The debates amplified, the most pressing issue being
to find a proper plot of land for the construction. Even-
tually, it was agreed that the best location was the
plot of land of the former Sărindar Monastery, which
was demolished by the municipal authorities in 1896,
situated at the crossing between Victoriei Street and
Queen Elisabeta Boulevard. The land was owned by
the Ministry of Agriculture and Public Domains and, in
order to be transferred to theMilitary Club, both cham-
bers of the Parliament had to give their approval.
In the following period, the leadership of the Mili-
tary Club and the officers from the Bucharest garrison
directed their efforts towards accomplishing this ob-
