Felled by aggressive lung cancer, Gheorghiu-Dej died in the spring of 1965.
At the time, Lăzărescu was traveling in France to place orders for building materials.
He learned of the ascent to power of Nicolae Ceaușescu and, despite warnings from friends in France, returned to Bucharest.
Arriving home, he was viewed as an enemy of the people for having wasted the country's money on luxury dwellings and was threatened with legal action.
Like others who had been close to Gheorghiu-Dej, he was blacklisted by Ceaușescu, who had not yet digested Lăzărescu's refusal to build his villa.

In 1968 he was asked to submit a proposal to a contest for the Otopeni International Airport, after Ceaușescu dismissed the initial submittals from the other competitors.
Lăzărescu won the contest and builds the airport.

Following this, he built numerous other significant buildings in Romania, including (the Palace of Sports in Bucharest, the "Omnia" conference venue next to the Communist Party headquarters in Bucharest, a reception hall for the French embassy in Bucharest, and abroad, the Romanian embassy in Beijing and the Parliament building in Khartoum).

He was appointed rector of the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism in 1970 (for two consecutive terms) and a year later president of the Romanian Architects' Union.

The works he completed are significant, but his refusal was heard: other architects designed the private lodgings of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu.
Lăzărescu kept an official tone in his relationship with the Ceaușescus.
They respected his professionalism and he paid them the respect due patrons.
Felled by aggressive lung cancer, Gheorghiu-Dej died in the spring of 1965. At the time, Lăzărescu was traveling in France to place orders for building materials. He learned of the ascent to power of Nicolae Ceaușescu and, despite warnings from friends in France, returned to Bucharest. Arriving home, he was viewed as an enemy of the people for having wasted the country's money on luxury dwellings and was threatened with legal action. Like others who had been close to Gheorghiu-Dej, he was blacklisted by Ceaușescu, who had not yet digested Lăzărescu's refusal to build his villa.
In 1968 he was asked to submit a proposal to a contest for the Otopeni International Airport, after Ceaușescu dismissed the initial submittals from the other competitors. Lăzărescu won the contest and builds the airport.
Following this, he built numerous other significant buildings in Romania, including (the Palace of Sports in Bucharest, the "Omnia" conference venue next to the Communist Party headquarters in Bucharest, a reception hall for the French embassy in Bucharest, and abroad, the Romanian embassy in Beijing and the Parliament building in Khartoum).
He was appointed rector of the Ion Mincu University of Architecture and Urbanism in 1970 (for two consecutive terms) and a year later president of the Romanian Architects' Union.
The works he completed are significant, but his refusal was heard: other architects designed the private lodgings of Nicolae and Elena Ceaușescu. Lăzărescu kept an official tone in his relationship with the Ceaușescus. They respected his professionalism and he paid them the respect due patrons.
Cezar Lăzărescu