Hotel Bristol (Voronezh) is a building located in the heart of the city. It was built at the very beginning of the 20th century. In 2015, the 105th anniversary of this unusual building was celebrated. And it affects not only the guests and residents of the city, but also the architects who come to Voronezh in the 21st century. Although in its time the hotel has experienced many events.
Appearance
"Bristol" in Voronezh is a four-story building. It was built specifically to accommodate in it a hotel, restaurant and a number of merchant stores. In 1910, not only the exterior of this building, but also the internal content was unusual and innovative. Only the most modern technologies were used in the construction: reinforced concrete slabs, passenger and freight elevators.
The facade of the hotel itself still impresses passers-by. He is very rich in various forms. There are a lot of rounded elements on it that have soft, smooth outlines. At one time, the hotel fit perfectly into the development of the entire avenue.
Hotel Bristol (Voronezh): the story of how it all began
At the beginning of the 20th century, Bolshaya Dvoryanskaya (and today it is Revolution Avenue) was one of the main streets of Voronezh. There were elegant and elegant buildings everywhere, built in the style of empire and classicism. A noble people strolled past them. And in 1909, construction began here. In just a year and 3 months, a gorgeous 4-story building grew, which was bright, outstanding among the rest of the architectural ensemble.
Such a project was created by Mikhail Furmanov. He was not an architect, but an engineer. His work consisted in translating foreign literature on new construction technologies into Russian. Of course, he could not fail to apply all this knowledge and innovative developments in the new project. And the owners of the site, Mikhail Litvinov and Alexander Prosvirkin, accepted the ideas of the young engineer.
"Bristol" is the first house in the city, built according to American technology for the construction of unique reinforced concrete structures. The author of the project was an innovator in construction. In addition, and inside the building was organized quite unusual:
- The entire first floor was transferred to the store. It sold rubber products, starting with tires and ending with shoes. This was evidenced by the huge sign on the roof of the "Explorer".
- The second floor was occupied by a luxurious restaurant. Each visitor could not only enjoy original dishes from the chef, but also admire the views of the city from the huge windows. At the same time, at any moment, the visitor could go out and breathe fresh air on the balcony of the restaurant. It is interesting that in this institution the kitchen was located directly in the hall where the guests were sitting. She was only enclosed by a glass stained-glass window.
- The remaining floors of the house were occupied by hotel rooms at the Bristol Hotel.
The first owners of the hotel (O.O. Tuteloglu and S.K. Govsepian) began work in 1912. In just a few years, Bristol has become an incredibly popular hotel and restaurant.
Revolution and war
The Bristol Hotel has never changed its address, even in difficult times of the Civil War. Even before the revolution, this building was acquired by merchants Vart-Baronov. Then the hotel was nationalized, it passed from one property to another. Finally, at the end of 1917, it became the headquarters of the Red Guard. In 1921, Arkady Gaidar visited here. Only in the 30s the hotel was again located in the building.
After the Second World War, Voronezh almost lost the Bristol Hotel. Due to the “anti-artistic” look of this house, they wanted to change it beyond recognition (to demolish all balconies, significantly reduce window openings). But it didn’t reach such reconstruction.
Hotel Bristol (Voronezh) today
Now the Bristol Hotel is a monument of federal significance. This historic building was built in the Art Nouveau style and is located at: Revolution Avenue, 43. Tourists come here daily to enjoy the unusual structure in the very center of the city. Even today, the Bristol Hotel (Voronezh) does not look trivial. This building is completely atypical. It is worth a good look at it and you can see the original solutions. Now in this building there are shops, coffee houses, as well as offices of Voronezh companies.
Until now, the Bristol Hotel (Voronezh) has undergone several reconstructions. Inside, the steps of the main staircase were replaced; on the outside, century-old lattices that flaunted on the balconies were removed. Now on the second floor of the building, which previously housed the famous restaurant in the city, there is an inexpensive dining room. There is little that reminds of past times - only a small photograph of the pre-revolutionary Bristol.