Polovtsov's mansion description and photos - Russia - Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg (Topic)

Polovtsov's mansion description and photos - Russia - Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg. Detailed information about the attraction. Description, photos and a map showing the nearest significant objects.

Photo and description

Not far from St. Isaac's Cathedral, in the very center of the city on the Neva, there is a mansion that once belonged to the chairman of the Russian Historical Society, Senator Polovtsov. For all the nondescript facade in the classical style, the mansion amazes with its luxurious interior decoration. An amazing decor made of precious woods and marble, inlaid parquet, molding has come down to us.

Where the mansion is today, there was originally a manor house that changed many owners. So, during the reign of Catherine II, the estate was owned by the Levashev brothers, close to the empress's court. Since the brothers often traveled, the Empress used the house as she saw fit. Ekaterina Dashkova, a friend of Ekaterina, was in the estate for some time. In addition, Francisco Miranda stayed here, the future king of France, Charles X. At various times the estate was owned by Adjutant General Shuvalov, Ekaterina Pashkova, Nadezhda Tolstaya. In the end, Prince Sergei Gagarin bought the estate in 1835 and decided to remake it by building a front wing on the side of Bolshaya Morskaya Street. For the construction of the wing, the prince invited A. Pel, a student of Auguste Montferrand, the author of the project of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

The prince's son sold the house to Nadezhda Mikhailovna Polovtsova in 1864, but the construction and alteration of the decoration of the mansion continued after the sale. The mansion was rebuilt for quite a long time and did not spare money during the finishing. White marble used in the decoration of the premises was brought from Italy. All works were supervised by N.F. Brullo, architect, nephew of the artist Karl Bryullov. He also helped I.P. Ropeta, who changed the layout inside the mansion, improved heating, plumbing, sewerage systems.

Thanks to the efforts of Brullo, the unique interior of the magnificent Oak Hall was born, conceived and created in the style of the Renaissance. At that time, the Oak Hall was a library. Built-in bookcases, carved from wood, were brought from the same Italy, as were different types of marble (from different provinces) - for the fireplace made by Florentine masters.

The collections of the Russian Historical Society, headed by A. Polovtsov, as a rule, they were held within the walls of the Oak Hall. Many historical collections were published with the direct participation of the Historical Society, and besides this, two and a half dozen volumes, which have not lost their significance today, "Russian Bibliographic Dictionary".

Maximilian Mesmacher took over the management of the work after N. Brullo passed away. Mesmacher completed the construction of the staircase of the main entrance, as well as the completely extraordinary White Hall, the floor of which was decorated with magnificent parquet, recruited from more than thirty species of valuable wood. The Bronze Hall belongs to Mesmacher. Alexander, the son of the Polovtsovs, married in 1890, and the grand opening of the White Hall was timed to coincide with this event. Emperor Alexander the Third himself was a planted father at Polovtsov's wedding. Polovtsov's contemporaries often called the magnificent White Hall the "elegant room of Louis XV", as in luxury it was in no way inferior to the interiors of the palaces of the French emperors.

In the 13th year of the last century, the mansion passed into the possession of the Polovtsovs' daughter, Anna Alexandrovna Obolenskaya. And in the 15th year, Anna Alexandrovna sells it for half a million L.P. Moshkevich. A year later, in 1916, the house became the property of a member of the Society for the Revival of Artistic Russia - K.I. Yaroshinsky. In October of the same year, an evening with poetry reading took place in the mansion, during which Sergei Yesenin and Nikolai Klyuev spoke.

After the revolution, the building of the mansion was first given to the school of the trade union movement, and then, in 1934, it goes to Union of Architects. It was from this time that the Polovtsov mansion was also called the House of Architects.

Nowadays, the Polovtsov mansion houses the St. Petersburg branch of the Union of Architects of Russia. Unique interiors received museum status and became available for visiting.

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Topic: Polovtsov's mansion description and photos - Russia - Saint Petersburg: Saint Petersburg.