Architecture of Odess

[Wolfdog]

One of my favourite buildings :
(or even the most favourite one)

Falz-Fein 's house ( 1899 year )
also known as "Dom s atlantami" ( "House with atlases" )

This house represents the mix of styles known as "Historicism".
By the way, here is my favourite scheme = brick facade + cream stucco + metal mansard

And the problem again = only facade is brick , while other walls were built of cheap "rakushnyak" local limestone

* Nice precedent again!
This house is under reconstruction. And it could be reconstructed until 2022 or 2023 years (I hope!)

I can show photos from Wiki and various regional sources.
Here you can see that roof and mansard were spoiled by cheap materials and unprofessional works.
But main problem is invisible from the street point of view ( I mean inner walls, engineering systems etc. )

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...7_P1250668.jpg

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikiped...901_%D1%80.JPG





To be correct it's an ensemble, including Falz-Fein 's tenement (right one) and Falz-Fein 's mansion (left one) :




Falz-Fein 's house is the part of great Gogol street that is full of historical monumental buildings...
* this limon house with four atlases is under restoration too
(c) local news sources

[Wolfdog]

F. Preobrazhenskaya street

I feel it is considered as the "main street" by local authorities.
There is no official status such as this, but it is their mainstream idea.

Using logic and logistic issues it seems to be reasonable :

= Preobrazhenskaya street is the axis of city transportation system.
This street iit is the elongated hub connecting south, southwest and north districts of Odessa through the historical centre.
Almost all tramway and "marshrutka" lines are routed here or crossing it.
= This street is penetrating Sobornaya square , Tiraspolskaya square .
= There are too many important objects : "Passage", Zoo , Central Police Office, University of Economical Sciences etc.
= During the age of Russian empire Orthodox cathedral was situated here (Sobornaya square), and it was common to think that street with cathedral church = main street
= It was considered as the "main street" by German spies in 1941 (sadly that it was bombed by aviation for the same reason)
= There are still plans to make this street purely tramway+pedestrian like many streets in western countries.


Very good thing = 80%+ buildings here are historical, and we are including Stalinist Empire style building then it would be 90%+

Bad thing = this street is always full of various beggars, bums, gypsies and (idk reason) mentally sick people and "gopniks". Many of them are dangerous (especially, if you are walking closely to abandoned cemetery near Zoo)

But overall it's a very interesting route...
Let's see it from the North to the South :
* Red line +++ numbered places



1. Corner of Preobrazhenskaya street L Elisavetinskaya street (Elisabeth street)
I am fond of this combination = left Baroque revival building + right Moorish revival building



Opposite corner to finalize this ensemble


+++ historical picture to see that baroque roof was simplified somewhat



2. Corner of Preobrazhenskaya street L Pasteur street
* This highly monumental Gothic revival building = Theater of Puppetry (former Presbyterian church)
Like this ensemble alot!




3. I wouldn't show corner of Preobrazhenskaya street L De Ribas street.
Because Libman 's house is under reconstruction and looks very bad.
City is ready to give only 150000$-200000$ , while 700000$ budget is needed...

Libman 's house + Russov 's house = architectural Baroque revival ensemble of the north side of Sobornaya street.
Russov's house was reconstructed in 2019 :

https://ic.pics.livejournal.com/maxi...7_original.jpg

Historical photo ( Russov's house on the left, and Libman's house on the right )





4. Corner of Preobrazhenskaya street L Tiraspolskaya square
There is very nice and exclusive (in Odessa) example of Napoleon's Empire style :
(I always thought it's a mansion. But I wasn't right.)
This building was a mix of manufacture (1st floor) and tenement (2nd floor)





5. Corner of Preobrazhenskaya street L Yevreyskaya (Jewish) street
Typical example of Historicism style of 1890s.
Could look more regular.
BUT sky blue colour make is it more interesting iMO.
BTW I hope it will restored/reconstructed soon...




6. Beautiful small Historicism style building with rich decors :
It was re-painted few years ago , BUT it needs deep restoration for sure : (




7. Corner of Preobrazhenskaya street L Troitskaya street
Jugendstil ensemble!
Left one building = Lifshitz 's house ( 1910 )
Right one building = Bloomberg 's house ( 1912 )
* Odessa Regional Universal Science Library is situated in the Bloomberg 's house







8. Corner of Preobrazhenskaya L Uspenskaya street
Very interesting example of Historicism style
Unfortunately, I can't find history of this building




9. Corner of Preobrazhenskaya street L Bazarnaya street
Typical "Stalinka" = Stalin Empire style building
All these houses were built in early 1950s and look very monumentous
Officially, there are 128 "Stalnikas" in Odessa
Problem #1 = "Stalinkas" are built of cheap "rakushnyak" limestone...)...
Problem #2 = only few of these buildings are legally protected.
* this certain house has status of legal defence




10. Corner of Preobrazhenskaya street L Bolshaya Arnautskaya (Arnaut) street
Koriman's house ( 1913 year )
Great monumental example of Jugendstil style :



Well, it's the southernmost point of my walk.

[catgeorge]

Very nice - look extremely classical European not one commie slum among them.

[Wolfdog]

Unfortunately, it's easy to find "Khruschyovka" (1950-1960s building) surrounded by historical houses.

Panoramas of some streets are spoiled by these cheap houses :/

For example look at the simplified Jugendstil tenement near the corner of Kanatnaya L Troitskaya street.
Then look on the left and you will see typical "khruschyovka"




Overall, there are tons of "kruschyovkas" across historical quarters...

[Wolfdog]

Talking about sad stories...

For example, this dying beautiful abandoned industrial Jugendstil style Tea factory ( 1909 year )
at the another side of the corner Kanatnaya L Troitskaya street

Of course, this building is listed as the architectural monument and defended by the law,
BUT perspectives are too unobvious




historical pic :

[Laly]

Some pictures I took in Odessa:

[Wolfdog]

Talking about problem of
City vs. Developers

This is not so common as it happens in rich western countries.

But there are some examples of conflictous situation.

This building is known as " Fesenko 's typography ".

It was built as an example of Baroque revival ("Moscow Baroque"?) in 1870s.
Then it was deeply reconstructed in 1890s.
Also it was reconstructed few times during Soviet age.
It was considered as architectural monument in early 1990s.
Then it was abandoned in early.
And it has lost monument's legal status in 2009.
It was included into so called "Shterbul's list" ("список Штербуль").
Let's detail some things : during Soviet age there wasn't any "monument" legal status. Even the most famous building were always under the danger to be demolished.
In early 1990s (when Ukraine became to be independent) local scientists and administrators proposed the list of 1800+ monuments.
Then in 2008 Nathalie Shterbul cutted that list, and now 1354 buildings (and architectural elements) are defended for being "monuments".
Some people think that she is purely corrupted person. But she had legal reasons for every building excluded by her.
" Fesenko 's typography " officially was excluded because inner structures were unprofessionally reconstructed too many times and 69% of it's inner structures (in 2008) were ruined.
So now it should be fully ruined inside, despite the fact it looks OK from the street.
It was abandoned for the last 2 decades.

But some time ago (autumn 2020) "developers" had bought this building and said that they want to demolish it and abandoned cinema (early 1900s age).
After conflict and discussion they proposed to re-built facades (sure, inner structure would be totally modern) of both buildings.
Some historians, journalists and political activists stay against this.

BUT I feel it as something very controversial.
Bad thing = original building would be demolished.
Good thing = aesthetic's of this Baroque building would be saved and new facade would serve for hundreds of years...

To be honest, I can't say if I accept this or I am against?

Three different pics to judge it

1. Picture from the Past
to show how it looked before reconstruction ( 1890 year )
2. Picture from the Now
to show how it looks as at the moment
3. Picture from the Future
to show developer's plans...

[Wolfdog]

Very modern (early 2010s) condominium built in Art Nouveau/Jugendstil revival style

[Wolfdog]

This is how New meeting Old :

Odin the god and his place along the facade of Renaissance revival style historical building
* corner of Bunin street L Polskaya (Polish) street

[Wolfdog]

Decent schematic map in English

It shows A , B , C , D and E zones from my earlier posts.
Sure, many streets are cutted. For example, only Northern part of Preobrazhenskaya street is painted here.
And only Northern half of Richeleu street etc.

Note, this map is upside down.
Upper side = South
Lower side = North