Towering no more, the story of Turnul IFMA in Bucharest is a tale of industry. It’s a story of seismic safety and, ultimately, of silent demolition.
The Turnul IFMA was more than just a tall structure. For many arriving in Bucharest by train, it was a landmark. It stood beside the tracks leading to Gara de Nord. For over 35 years, it was an easily recognizable part of the city.
Built between 1983 and 1986, the Turnul IFMA served a vital purpose. It was a lift-testing tower for IFMA. This company made most of the lifts installed in Bucharest’s many apartment buildings during the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
Cristi Radu says that allegedly little testing happened there before 1989. However, the Turnul IFMA did test lifts for the Parliament Palace. This is a gigantic structure from the totalitarian era.
Rising almost 100 meters, the concrete tower had ten elevator shafts. Platforms connected these shafts. Sensors and control equipment tested various elevator types within. The tower was also one of the most earthquake-resistant buildings. The memories of the 1977 earthquake were still fresh when it was built.
After the Revolution, operations at the Turnul IFMA ceased. The government tried to sell the tower to major European lift manufacturers. There were no buyers. Controversial businessman Ion Țiriac bought it. For almost three decades, it became an advertising space for his companies. Mobile telephony masts topped its roof.
Țiriac planned to build offices and apartments on the site. There were even suggestions of Romania’s highest building being erected here.
Its demolition began in March during a city-wide lockdown. The action happened without notice. By the time the lockdown lifted, the Turnul IFMA was gone.
The tower was a great feat of Bucharest industry. Nearby residents recognized it. People arriving by train spotted its shape on the cityscape. It could have been repurposed, says Cristi Radu. But there was no interest. Bucharest lost another industrial building during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The Turnul IFMA had far greater potential. But now it has been lost. Another piece of Bucharest’s industrial heritage has disappeared forever. Only memories and photos remain of this once-prominent structure. The Turnul IFMA is gone. The land awaits a new project.