The Square House (Casa Pătrată) is a large administrative building beside Palace Square in central Iași, built between 1964 and 1969 as the headquarters of the county Communist Party leadership. Designed by architect Nicolae Vericeanu, it now houses the Iași County Council and the Iași Prefecture.
Its construction formed part of the major redevelopment of central Iași during the 1960s. The Scala Cinema, Dunărea restaurant, and several older commercial buildings were demolished to clear the site, placing the new political headquarters between some of the city’s most prominent historic landmarks. With streets on all four sides, Vericeanu designed the building as a nearly symmetrical block surrounding an internal courtyard, giving each façade an important role in the surrounding cityscape.
Although modern in scale, the architecture incorporates forms drawn from older Romanian buildings. Long veranda-like galleries recall the traditional prispă, while exposed brick and concrete elements echo the pilasters and buttresses of Moldavian churches from the age of Stephen the Great. Mosaics near the Palace Square entrance reflect the official imagery of the period, with compositions devoted to industry, agriculture, history, art, and the work of Mihai Eminescu.
The most politically important rooms faced Palace Square. The office of the county party first secretary had its own ceremonial access and a balcony overlooking the square, where crowds assembled during official visits and speeches. Ion Iliescu occupied the position of Iași County first secretary from 1974 to 1979, while Nicolae Ceaușescu used the building during visits to Iași and addressed gatherings in the square from its balcony.
After the fall of the communist regime in 1989, the building continued in administrative use. It now accommodates Iași County Council and the Prefecture, preserving both its distinctive architecture and a visible part of the communist-era redevelopment that transformed this side of the historic center.
