Lipscani is a street and a district which from middle ages to early 19th century was the most important commercial area of the city and the whole Wallachia.
It was named after Leipzig (Lipsca in 17th century Romanian), as that was the origin of many of the wares that could be found on the main street. The word lipscan (singular of lipscani) meant trader who brought his wares from Western Europe. All trades were found in the area, including goldsmiths, hatters, shoemakers, tanners, saddlemakers, etc., many guilds (or isnafuri) having their own street. Even nowadays, the nearby streets bear the name of a trade (Blănari = Furriers street, Șelari = Saddlemakers street, etc.).
During the Communist period, the whole area was scheduled to be demolished, but this never came to fruition. The district became neglected, but nowadays it's becoming an attractive area for tourists . As of 2013, some of the buildings were restored. In the early 21st century, much of the district has been transformed into a pedestrian zone.
The building at no. 55 was built in 1904 after Nicolas Chrissoveloni (founder of the Chrissoveloni Bank - one of the largest banks in pre-war Romania) bought the previous buildings at an auction. It was rented and housed various businesses until 1948 when the communists seized the properties of the Chrissoveloni family. During the Communist period, a store called Familia /The Family was housed in the building. After 2005 the property was restituted to Jean Chrissoveloni, the great-grandson of the 19th century banker. He renovated the building, before leasing it to the Carturesti chain of bookstore.
Facade before renovation
Facade after renovation
More info (romanian only) can be found at the links below:
interior images before restoration
history of the building
previous uses of the building
interview with the owner