The House of the Eliseev Brothers Trade Association (Eliseevsky Store) is a building on the corner of Nevsky Prospekt (house 56) and Malaya Sadovaya Street (house 8) in St. Petersburg, an early modern architectural monument.
The house was built in 1902-1903 by the architect Gavriil Vasilyevich
Baranovsky for the colonial goods store of the Eliseev Brothers trading
partnership. The building stands out against the backdrop of the
classical architecture of Nevsky Prospekt with its stained-glass
windows, sculptures and luxury finishes. The style of the building was
intended to show the wealth of camaraderie and attract the attention of
potential buyers. The stained-glass window on the Neva side of the
building, covering several floors, gives the impression of one huge
showcase. Four sculptures by A. G. Adamson "Industry", "Trade", "Art"
and "Science" are installed on the facade.
There were three
trading halls inside, decorated with mirrors and bronze lamps. On the
second floor of the building there was a bank, commercial courses
founded by the Eliseevs, and a hall that was rented out to theater
troupes. In the basement there were warehouses, refrigerators and one of
the best wine cellars in Europe.
The House of the Trade Association aggressively and resolutely
invaded the development of Nevsky Prospekt. The contrast is added by the
building style, modern with eclectic elements, because the environment
in which the building was built is classicistic ensembles. Art Nouveau
in Russia was just gaining momentum. However, it cannot be said that the
store was a pioneer in this area. But, together with the Singer house
(P. Syuzor), the Eliseevsky store is the brightest representative of
Russian Art Nouveau.
The building of the Eliseev Brothers Trade
Association is located at the intersection of Malaya Sadovaya Street and
Nevsky Prospekt. For its construction, a prominent and prestigious place
was chosen opposite the Catherine Square of the Alexandrinsky Theater
(now the Russian State Academic Drama Theater named after A. S.
Pushkin), near the Anichkov Palace and the Public Library, the Great
Gostiny Dvor and the Passage, next to several banks, then is at the
heart of commerce and culture.
The selected site was built up
along the perimeter. There was a three-story house of the end of the
18th century, increased to 5 floors in 1863. On the right along the
avenue, the site bordered the International Commercial Bank. Baranovsky
began construction with the reconstruction of buildings adjacent to the
site. A courtyard wing was added and the building along Malaya Sadovaya
Street was reconstructed in a strict style close to the context, which
can be regarded as the birth of neoclassicism. In addition, the
reconstruction of the right building on Nevsky Prospekt was carried out:
the lower tier was visually weighted with rustication and opened with
shop windows.
The decision of the partnership building itself, as
a new public facility with a central store and a theater and concert
hall, required a spectacular, contrasting solution to the surroundings.
The giant stained-glass arch of the main façade, contrasting
combinations of granite, iron and glass, allegorical sculptural groups,
abundant intricate decor pull the building out of the existing
environment of classicist ensembles, making it sound like an accent in
the development of Nevsky Prospekt.
The shape-forming basis of the composition of the corner building is
its frame structure. Eight powerful pylons (four on each side) support
the floor beams. Therefore, there are no walls in the usual sense - the
side wall is represented by an alternation of pylons and high
rectangular openings, which helps to reflect the hall structure. The
main facade is designed in the form of a grandiose arch, equal in height
to five floors of neighboring buildings.
The arch of the main
facade combines the volume of the store and the theater and is the focal
point of the composition. It is both an accent and a tectonic break in
the development of the street. This technique was not innovative for Art
Nouveau architecture, but was new for the development of Nevsky
Prospekt, which enhanced the effect.
The arched volume is
enclosed in a frame made of solid blocks of rough textured granite. The
architect can be reproached for forgery: the reinforced concrete floor
is disguised as granite, but this is not entirely fair. The outline of
the arch of the main façade is flat, squeezed by the heaviness of the
upper tier and close to the outline of the supporting frame.
The
rustication of the facades is made in two tiers: the lower volume of the
pylons, which plays the role of a pedestal for the statues, is made of
larger blocks. The inviolability and monumentality of these elements is
diluted with decor. The slit-like windows of the upper tier facilitate
the perception of the vertical composition. The large openings of both
facades are embroidered with thin metal columns dividing the volume into
narrow arches.
The openwork lattice of bindings plays a purely
decorative role. Being an example of a game of construction and symbolic
understanding of metal forms, it is distinguished by a special grace,
almost melodic sound, likening the openings of the facades to a musical
instrument - a lyre (a metaphorical indication of the function of a
concert hall).
In the design of the main facade, Baranovsky used
elements of classicism and plant forms. Balcony brackets with volutes,
pilasters of the upper tier, cornice with croutons. At the same time,
ornaments of chestnut leaves are carved in granite, and purely
decorative metal structures that filled the arch of the window and the
upper part of the shop windows are braided with forged stems and
foliage. The signature features of Art Nouveau include a female
high-relief mask over the arch and the running of spiral curls of
plants, creating the effect of continuous movement, rapid growth.
In addition, Baranovsky used an element typical for apartment
buildings in Paris - balconies above the showcase and on the top floor
(the level of the theater foyer).
The architect could not avoid
the cloying characteristic of late eclecticism. This is especially
noticeable in the solution of the roof. Her figurativeness transforms
the utilitarian volume into a spectacular crown of the composition. This
feature once again serves to highlight and even contrast the building
with everything that exists on the avenue, because earlier in the
development of St. Petersburg, coatings remained neutral parts for all
architectural objects except for places of worship. The structure of the
cover is made of trusses. The filigree pattern of the roof is
complemented by vertical accents - turrets with lion masks and
flowerpots (serve to complete the pylons) at the corners and spiers
(later they were lost). These elements allowed the architect to change
the very silhouette of Nevsky, exceeding the height limit (23.5 meters)
with them.
The sculptural decoration demonstrated the foundations
of modern civilization: trade and industry, science and art. Each theme
is represented by a male or female figure with a seated boy and
appropriate attributes. The Eliseevs kept one of the best wine cellars
in the country. Therefore, when a quarter of the wine trade in the
country was occupied by merchants, the Eliseevs built their own merchant
fleet - 3 ships. This success was fixed in the sculptural solution. At
the feet of the god of trade, Mercury, there is an anchor - a symbol of
the conquest of sea routes. And in the hands of Vulcan, personifying
industry, the symbol of shipbuilding is a ship. The sculptures are
placed at the level of the theater hall and are supported by the lower
segments of the pylons and brackets.
A group of large sculptures
with a clearly readable plasticity of forms were connected by a single
theme with the stained glass ensemble of the theatrical part (lost).
These multi-figure stained-glass windows, complex in composition,
performed a number of functions: they replaced the walls of the theater
hall, transforming its interior space, and enriching the exterior,
especially at night, illuminated from the inside. Depicting a variety of
historical, legendary and costume characters, the images were not
unified and had a somewhat salon touch.
The contradictions of
artistic techniques characteristic of this building, such as the
deformation of proportions, stylized motifs of stained-glass windows and
forging, the design elements inherent in classicism and the naturalism
of sculptural groups, became a reflection of the formation of a new
style.
The first floors, both in the right building and in the corner
building, were occupied by trading floors of shops. The building on
Nevsky Prospekt also housed a pawnshop and apartments. The very compact
main building was developed vertically and consisted of hall spaces on
top of each other: a store, a general concert hall and a restaurant
foyer. The Russian-Chinese Bank was located in the courtyard.
The
main disadvantage of the internal layout is the inconvenience and small
size of the corridors and the illogical placement of the foyer (a level
above the hall itself) - all this was the result of the extremely
compact building.
The trading floor was connected with the dining
room and offices. The basement warehouses were equipped with
refrigerators and heaters to provide a differentiated temperature
regime. The interior of the store is rare for St. Petersburg Art
Nouveau. Stained-glass windows and stucco, lighting fixtures and
openwork grilles - the entire decor of both the lobby and the store is
filled with stylized plant motifs. The final accent in the solution of
the interior of the first floor was a huge bean-shaped mirror on the
north side of the store. Doubling the space, it echoes the glazing of
the vestibule, and its shape, characteristic of the design of shop
windows and entrances of Parisian shops and restaurants, is a hallmark
of early modernism. In the design of the foyer, a light colonnade became
the main element of the composition. The low height of the third floor
is partly concealed by the rise of the arch, and its floral decor
smoothly flows onto the plafond.
Above the mirrored niche of the
trading floor, there is an arcuate light balcony with a gilded railing.
He walked out into a discreetly decorated waiting room. In it, despite
the decoration of the walls and the twisted cast-iron staircase, the
atmosphere was prim. Suppliers of goods were waiting here.
The
auditorium included a stalls for 480 seats and three boxes located above
the aisles from the entrance hall. A small stage portal in the form of a
gentle arch was decorated in the spirit of the Vienna Secession. The
landscape panel above the portal is written in a simplified manner. On
the curtain, visible between the draperies, was a monument to Catherine
II against the backdrop of the Alexandrinsky Theater, which was a mirror
image of the reality hidden behind the stained glass. The walls of the
hall were decorated on the sides with graceful columns of non-strict
proportions. The ceiling structure - concrete beams - were open to the
outside and divided the ceiling into deep caissons. Floral and geometric
molding, panels and mirrors, balcony railings and crystal chandeliers
completed the interior design, which was one of the most significant
examples of the synthesis of Russian Art Nouveau. After an almost
complete loss of interior decoration, the auditorium was reconstructed
in 2006-2009. In the course of the work, it was possible to ennoble the
appearance of the hall and return the echoes of the original style.
An oval front staircase connecting all floors is extended into the
courtyard. The original fence has been preserved on it, mosaic
stained-glass windows are installed on the lower platform, similar to
the shop windows, and above - painted stained-glass windows with
characters from the Comedy Theater, made according to the sketches of N.
P. Akimov. On the other side of the courtyard, towards the rounded
volume of the stairs, stands the faceted body of the Russian-Chinese
Bank. Wide and paired narrow windows alternate on its faces. These large
volumes, hidden inside the quarter, with their functional simplicity,
have the plastic expressiveness of the overall laconic form.
The
St. Petersburg Eliseevsky shop is inferior to the Moscow one in size and
splendor, but they are united by a craving for wealth, theatricality and
optical effects.
The color and lighting solutions of the facades
and interior decoration were completely subordinated to the main task -
to demonstrate the wealth and commercial success of the Eliseev family,
to attract the public with an extravaganza of volumes, innovative
solutions and a special atmosphere for selling the highest quality goods
in the country.
The brown-pink granite of the pylons that dampen
the arch's thrust, the calm grassy color of the curly metal, the play of
reflections and glare of the huge arch - the opposition of materials
enhances their properties: the strength of stone, the plasticity and
lightness of metal, and the light transmission of glass.
The
interior of the trading floor is characterized by the cult of
artificial, detached from life beauty. Four electric chandeliers are
decorated with a scattering of milky glass flowers and fill the hall
with soft, diffused yellow light. Despite the huge number of lamps, a
slight twilight always reigned in the hall - a tribute to Art Nouveau -
everything should have an exciting atmosphere of mystery, a hint of
mystery. The stained glass drawing under the ceiling of the trading
floor repeated the same drawing of the tree of life (the emblem of the
Vienna Secession and the main image of symbolism), solved in different
colors. Intense coloring is determined by combinations of primary
chromatic colors - blue, red, yellow, green, purple. They flicker like a
kaleidoscope. Plants are enclosed in rounded figures. A high degree of
stylization, generalization and geometric shapes and color spots
emphasize the mosaic stained-glass windows. All this caused an
atmosphere of slight dizziness, a different reality, which, of course,
the Eliseevs were counting on.
The theater hall conceived by
Baranovsky - a variety show with round tables, was intended more for
festivities than for enjoying theatrical premieres. But the premises
were rented out for a satire theater. The room was decorated in light
yellow tones and furnished with chairs upholstered in green plush.
Climbing the marble stairs leading to the theater was accompanied by a
kaleidoscope of stained glass windows repeating the image of the world
tree. And the theater foyer, or white hall, was decorated traditionally
and restrainedly. Here, in a private restaurant, the merchant family,
along with the closest guests, could dine - the wealth of the merchants
made it possible to keep personal servants, cooks, and waiters.
At the end of the 18th century, at the corner of Nevsky Prospekt and
Malaya Sadovaya Street, there was a three-story house of the merchant I.
Apaishchikov. Then the plot was owned by: Senator D. O. Baranov (from
the 1820s), Mrs. Butrimova, Count G. F. Mengden (in the 1850s-1870s),
Baron E. P. Meyendorff. In the middle of the 19th century, the building
housed the office of the Military Collection magazine, whose
editor-in-chief was N. G. Chernyshevsky.
The building was built
up to 5 floors in 1863 (architect A. I. Tikhobrazov).
In January
1881, one of the semi-basements from the side of Malaya Sadovaya Street
was occupied by the "Warehouse of Russian Cheeses by E. Kobozev", from
which the Narodnaya Volya were digging to lay a mine in order to
assassinate Alexander II.
G. G. Eliseev purchased the site in
1898. At that time, the existing building housed a shop, a pawnshop and
a restaurant by V.I. Solovyov. On the instructions of G. G. Eliseev, the
architect G. V. Baranovsky in 1900 rebuilt the building along Malaya
Sadovaya Street, and in 1902-1903 he built the existing corner building
with a theater and a shop.
Contemporaries were shocked by the
unusual style of the building. The poet Georgy Ivanov wrote: “on Nevsky
Prospekt, like mushrooms, “luxurious” buildings grew one after another -
real “monsters”, like Eliseev’s store or Singer’s house.” The style of
early modern trading houses began to be called "merchant" modern.
In Soviet times, the official name of the store was Deli No. 1
Centralny, but Leningraders continued to call it the Eliseevsky store.
On the second floor of the building in 1929 the Theater of Satire
was opened, which was directed by D. G. Gutman, in 1931 the theater was
merged with the Theater of Comedy and renamed the Theater of Satire and
Comedy, now the Theater of Comedy. N. P. Akimova.
On June 24,
1941, the first TASS Windows in Leningrad appeared in the windows of the
grocery store.
During the blockade winter of 1942-1943,
performances of the Musical Comedy Theater and the City (Blockade)
Theater were held in the theater.
In 1987-1988, the decoration of
the trading floor was restored.
In 1995, a bas-relief memorial
plaque to the merchants Eliseevs was installed (sculptor E.K. Dmitriev,
architect V.P. Kun).
Since 2002, the restoration of the facades
and the theater has been carried out (the work is being carried out by
the Spetsrestavratsiya Institute, architects V.P. Golub and others).
In the period 2000-2010, the store practically did not work, until
2005 the Parnas holding rented the building, until March 2010 Arbat
Prestige had the right to rent the building. On September 15, 2010,
restaurateur Evgeny Prigozhin (Paritet LLC) became a tenant of the
building.
On November 30, 2010, the building was included in the
federal list of specially protected objects; on February 15, 2011,
restoration work began in the building.
On March 8, 2012, the
store was reopened to customers.