House with cats (Kiev)

To the question of an architect

The house was built by the famous engineer-architect Vladimir Bessmertny commissioned by Colonel Fyodor Yagimovsky. It should be noted that home decoration is uncharacteristic for the work of the Immortal. Because of this, urban legends often connect the construction of the mansion with Vladislav Gorodetsky ^[2] . However, recent archival research has debunked this myth ^[1] .

Famous residents

In the house at different times lived a lot of people who gained fame in different aspects of life. In particular, in 1917 - 1920 , the historian and ethnographer Nikolai Levchenko lodged here. By the end of the 1920s , a mechanical scientist Stepan Timoshenko lived in the house, in honor of whose stay here on the building’s facade in 1995 a bronze commemorative plaque was installed ^[3] . Despite the fact that celebrities lived in the house, rumors circulate around the city that the house is the cause of many dramatic fates, it is dangerous to be with him, and the figures of animals on the facade are nothing but mystical messages ^[4] .

Modernity

Nowadays, the premises are occupied by residential apartments and apartments, and on the ground floor there is a law office ^[4] .

The house in the plan has a T-shape. The house itself has a green color, and the whole decor is highlighted in white - hence the overall contrast of the composition. From the side of the street, the house has 4 floors, from the side of the courtyard - 5. On each floor there are four apartments of extremely uncomfortable layout: the rooms are narrow, the windows are rare, the kitchens and bedrooms are not adequately lit ^[4] .

The fabulous facade brought fame to the building. To be precise, both of the two facades, each of which faces the streets intersecting here. Facades are of particular interest due to their asymmetry. The abundance of living creatures on the facades gives the building a similar appearance and features, for example, the House with chimeras in Kiev. The figures and outlines of the facade elements attribute it to Art Nouveau , ornaments and sculpture - to the Neo-Gothic ^[3] .

Functional Parts of the Facade

Most of the windows, balconies and doors, due to many of their characteristics, give out art nouveau pieces, but this did not become the rule ^[4] . The balconies of the building are quite diverse, but despite their refined decor, the architect pursued, first of all, a utilitarian goal. This is evidenced by the fact that all open balconies are wide and spacious, equipped with a drainage system, while indoor and outdoor are heated and ventilated ^[3] .

Windows and doors differ in shapes and sizes. This is the original decision of the architect. The combination of exotic modernist semicircular windows and stained glass windows made to look gothic has long been a hallmark of the house. It remains a controversial idea to arrange large stained glass windows near the ground, as this will allow the cold to pass in the winter and heat the room in the summer.

Facade decoration details

The abundance of wildlife on the walls of the house associates its architecture with the architecture of the House with chimeras. However, not only animals and birds were honored to be shown. The devil at the very roof reveals itself as the crown of composition, brings the building to a reasonable end ^[6] .

Another famous feature of the house is the presence of mascarons at the windows. In fact, each of them has its own expression. Many urban legends are associated with human faces on a green house. Another interesting detail, often noticed by tourists, are the figures of owls.

• House with chimeras (Kiev)
• House with elephants