The name Oteteleșanu has strong roots in the history of Bucharest. In the second half of the 19th century, Iancu Oteteleșanu, minister of Control between 1851 and 1853 and minister of Finances in 1866, was the owner of the houses with the same name, which were officially recognized in documents since the middle of the century.
The houses were situated on Podul Mogoșoaiei, now known as Calea Victoriei, and they were the residence of Iancu Oteteleșanu and his former and current wife, Safta Oteteleșanu and Elena Filipescu. The later has transformed the Oteteleșanu houses into an important meeting spot of the Bucharest elite, the only other place which was better known at that being Sutu Palace. This tradition continues after the death of Iancu Oteteleșanu, and in 1888 the house will be left to Ioan Kalinderu, who sells it to the Insurance Society ”Dacia-Romana”. This insurance society will lend it to the entrepreneurs of the time, and the house will come into the possession of Mihai Stere, who will build here the Oteteleșanu Terrace, which quickly becomes one of the favorite places of the artists and writers of that time.
