Arriving in any city, the first thing we pay attention to is architecture. The amazingly beautiful houses, old and modern buildings, the stucco molding that adorns the facades - all this leads us to delight. The most vivid sensations from the city are left by architectural houses.
Jack London's nephew's house
In remote areas of the northern part of Moscow, there is a small sweet home that belonged to the nephew of the writer Jack London. A magnificent wooden house can be found on Timiryazevskaya Street, it was built in 1874.
The house has two floors and does not fit into the luxurious private houses of that time in the general way. There are no decorations on it, except carved patterns around the entire perimeter of the roof.
Little is known about him, except that Jack Williams brother Robert Williams lived here with his wife and son. After his death, the house passed to his son.
Pashkov House
One of the largest and most famous architectural sights of Moscow is the legendary Pashkov house. It is called the second building in Moscow after the Kremlin. And no wonder. The building is about 200 years old, and during its long history it was destroyed by fire and rebuilt again, the Rumyantsev Museum was located here. The house was a reading room, library, gymnasium.
The architectural appearance of the house resembles a sugar bowl or casket, and all because of the green roof of the rotunda.
The house was built in 1780 by a descendant of orderly Peter the Great P.E. Pashkov. He bought land near the Kremlin and erected the first private mansion in Moscow. But Pashkov’s relatives didn’t really like this house and preferred to live in another place. Over the years, the mansion fell into decay and was bought out by the state.
Now you can still look at the amazing structure of the mansion, but only with a guided tour. The halls of the mansion occupy three departments of the State Library. There is also a cultural and exhibition center.
Apartment building Tarhova
Another house of incomparable beauty in Moscow is the apartment building of N. G. Tarhova. The house was built in 1903 and replaced three owners in a few years. At first, the house was owned by the architect himself, then passed to Tarhova. She, in turn, sold the building to the hereditary noblewoman S. Belogolova.
The building has four floors. From the very beginning it was decorated with plaster tiles, it had towers and arches on the roof. Once there were stained glass windows made of embossed glass. However, the building was repaired several times, and each time it lost its unique details. Now the building is decorated with lion heads, which were created and placed during the last reconstruction.
Initially, the color of the building was gray. Then the monochrome color was replaced by light green. The latest reconstruction turned the apartment building from light green to yellow with white elements.
Tarhova’s house has several unofficial names. The facades of the buildings depict reliefs.
Currently, the facades of the building have emergency status, but the house is residential.
Pertsova House
The list of famous old architectural houses in Moscow includes the apartment building Pertsova. This amazing building attracts the attention of both guests and residents of the capital. It is located near the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and attracts with its bizarre shapes and fabulous details.
The house was built in 1907 by engineer of communications Peter Nikolayevich Pertsov. At first glance it may seem that the building was conceived as a theater. However, the house was built for rent.
Interestingly, before the construction of the house, the owner announced a competition for the best project of an architectural house. A few years later, after getting acquainted with many options, Pertsov chose the project of Sergey Malyutin, an artist. And immediately set about building.
The architectural facade of the house surprised experienced artists. First of all, the external glazed mosaic, which was made by graduates of the Stroganov School. The corners of the house and the railing were also decorated with majolica. On the roof there is a gilded grille with lions, and on top of it a gilded rooster.
Pertsov personally led the creation of jewelry made of wood, as well as furniture. Pertsov personally supervised the work and did not disregard a single detail. Four months later, the work was completed.
Inside, home decoration is also striking in its luxury. Since Pertsov himself planned to live in this house with his family, an apartment was finished for him. Unique elements were made of mahogany, an oriental smoking room was organized. Platbands and tiles were created from precious wood, birch and oak. Colored windows were inserted into the windows.
The Pertsovs lived in their house for about 15 years. Pyotr Nikolaevich was one of the custodians of the values of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, so in 1922 he became one of the accused in the case of the “clergy”. He was arrested along with other participants in the case and sentenced to a prison term of five years. However, he and three other prisoners were lucky: they were released a year later. In 1923, Pyotr Pertsov was evicted from his house and never returned there again.
According to the surviving memoirs of his daughter Zinaida, it is known that Trotsky himself chose the house, who moved to the Pertsovs personal apartment on four floors. Trotsky held a magnificent reception in honor of the English diplomat, who for a long time admired the device of the house and its design. The photo of the architectural houses in its original form is almost not preserved.
Apartment building Isakov on Prechistenka
Apartment building Isakova takes pride of place among the architectural residential buildings of Moscow.
The building was built in 1906. The famous St. Petersburg figure Ivan Pavlovich Isakov bought it and turned it into a tenement house. The mansion is an amazing monument of the Art Nouveau era. The house has the shape of the letter "H". The uniqueness of this structure is that the architect skillfully used the uneven relief of this site. The building is multi-story, the facade of the architectural house, which overlooks Prechistenka, consists of five floors, and the back of the house - of six.
The play of concave and convex lines gives the house a unique look. On the upper floors there is a thin mesh of stucco. A rich look is given to the house by lattice of balconies and delightful window covers. The owner of the house did not stint. Each next floor is decorated more beautiful and richer than the previous one.
Mansion of Ivan Mindovsky
Walking in old Moscow will surely lead you to another masterpiece that occupies a special place among the architectural private houses of Moscow. You will find him on Povarskaya street.
In 1903, under the leadership of the famous Savva Mamontov, the construction of a unique house began. By 1904, two magnificent private mansions were built that were immediately ready to move in.
The house has a rather complicated composition. The architect used a combination of various shapes and volumes. Particular attention is drawn to the details of the house. For example, a three-arched window decorated with stucco figures of angels who are engaged in various activities in the field of art. Previously, there was a statue of Aurora, which scattered flowers near children playing, but was lost. Restorers promise to restore this statue during restoration work. The window on top is covered with a visor. The balconies and windows of the lower floor are decorated with ornaments with floral themes. It is interesting that glass ornaments were made using a special technique - acid etching. Now there are only a few copies. The rest of the glass was broken in the war. It is noteworthy that such a style of jewelry is nowhere else to be found in Moscow.
To pay a lot of attention is also worth the fence. The gate is made of elegant forging in the form of openwork butterfly wings. As lighting devices, special lamps were made in the form of fireflies.
Polovtsev's mansion in St. Petersburg
The northern capital of Russia is also famous for its unique architectural houses.
Particular attention should be paid to the mansion of Alexander Polovtsev, which is located in the very center of the city, not far from St. Isaac's Cathedral. The house has a rich history. It belonged to the Levashov brothers, Ekaterina Dashkova, Count Shuvalov. Finally, it was bought by Prince Sergei Gagarin.
The prince decides to change the appearance of the house. Prior to this, the house could only be entered through the garden. Gagarin hires an architect and builds a front wing. From this began a major reconstruction of the estate. The owners did not skimp and invested in quality materials that were ordered from Italy.
The pearl of the house is the fireplace, which was built of yellow and green marble.
Inside, the mansion could only be compared to royal palaces: a unique painting, gilded stucco molding that framed paintings painted on the walls and ceilings, doors with gilded moldings and pink marble handles, and this is not counting the numerous carpets, carved Italian furniture and utensils.
After the revolution, the mansion began to be called the House of the Architect.
House of Grigory Rasputin
One of the most mystical places in St. Petersburg is considered the house where the well-known Grigory Rasputin lived. In the house on Gorokhovaya Street he lived until his last days.
The house does not stand out from other apartment buildings in St. Petersburg. The only distinguishing feature is a small memorial tablet testifying to the presence of the darkest person in the history of Russia. Now it is an ordinary St. Petersburg communal apartment, where ordinary people live. Although 100 years ago the best minds of tsarist Russia were languishing in line for a reception here.
"Openwork house" on Leningradsky Prospekt
Near the Dynamo metro station in Moscow is the first blocky Stalin-era building, popularly referred to as “openwork” thanks to the bars that close the balconies. Lattices are a floral ornament that hides the house from prying eyes.
The house has an interesting layout. It has the shape of the letter "P", and it has only one entrance. An amazing feature of the house is the spaciousness of its internal layout. There are no rich architectural elements in the house, since the house was conceived for the habitation of ordinary people.
Today, "Openwork House" has the status of a cultural monument. At different times, famous Russian poets, athletes and politicians lived here. Photos of architectural houses can be viewed in more detail in books on the history of the city.
Apricot House
In 1865, the merchant A.I. Abrikosov acquired a house in Sverchkov Lane and settled there with his large family. The house has an unusual decor. The building itself is built in the shape of a rectangle. It has a roof in the form of a tent over the main entrance with a staircase. The decor of the facades is surprisingly beautiful: bundles of columns, cornices with a curb, carved platbands and icon cases. Most rooms have vaulted ceilings inside, and stucco has been preserved to this day.
Apartment Building Basin
In the very heart of St. Petersburg there is a house that stands out from the general architectural ensemble. This building is the former apartment building of Nikolai Petrovich Basin.
The building was built in 1878 and stands out in an almost fabulous style. Researchers attribute the house to the Neo-Russian style, a mixture of the traditions of Russian and Old Russian building styles. The main decoration of the house is a rooster, for which the building was nicknamed the "Rooster house".
Today, artists, writers and politicians live in this amazing house.
Zahi Hadid's only private home
Modern architectural houses are also popular. Especially if their creators are brilliant contemporaries.
In the suburbs there is a one-of-a-kind private architectural house designed by Zaha Hadid. After much persuasion by the owner of Capital Group, Vladislav Doronin, the architect designed a residential building.
When meeting with the architect, Vyacheslav Doronin expressed only one of his wishes: to see only the sky in the morning.
So there was a project of a private house, similar to a spaceship. The building was built in 2012, however, external and internal work was carried out for several more years.
House on Mosfilmovskaya street
The skyscraper on Mosfilmovskaya street is one of the ten tallest residential buildings in Moscow. The house was commissioned in 2011 and built according to all the classic canons of luxury housing.
Outwardly, the skyscraper is practically no different from its own kind, but the internal content delights the inexperienced viewer. Several mirrored elevators, marble finish not only on the hall, but on all floors, mirrors in gilded frames. This is only a small fraction of the description of a luxury residential complex and the architectural design of houses of this type.
Two towers of 47 floors are connected by a seven-story partition.