The Simion Gheorghiu Palace (Palatul Simion Gheorghiu) is a large interwar residential and commercial building in central Galați, constructed between 1923 and 1925 for businessman Simion Gheorghiu. Its mixture of shops at street level and apartments above reflected the commercial character of the city’s former Corso during the interwar period.
Gheorghiu had acquired the property at the corner of Strada Domnească and Strada Gamulea in 1914, together with several existing buildings on the site. The present palace was erected a decade later, with a partial basement, ground floor and two upper stories. Gheorghiu retained the property until 1935, when he sold it and moved to Bucharest.
The ground floor was designed for commercial use and accommodated businesses including Braseria Palace, Gioconda and Drogheria Florența. Residential spaces occupied the upper floors, reached through a broad passage and staircase from the entrance. The building’s large openings around this access area are among its most distinctive architectural features, while the side façade preserves the initials “SG” for Simion Gheorghiu.
After nationalization, the building passed into state ownership and was divided between different uses, including a university restaurant during the communist period. Decades of neglect and vandalism later left large parts of the structure severely deteriorated.
