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| The front façade of the House with Chimaeras in Kiev, Ukraine. Photo by: Dmytro Sergiyenko |
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House with Chimaeras or Gorodetsky House (Ukrainian: Будинок з химерами; translit. Budynok z khymeramy, Russian: Дом с химерами, translit. Dom s khimerami) is a major Art Nouveau building in Kiev (Kyiv), the capital of Ukraine. It was built in the period of 1901–1902 by noted architect Vladislav Gorodetsky, who was regarded as the Gaudí of Kiev.[2]
The building derives its popular name from its ornate decorations depicting various scenes of exotic animals and hunting scenes, as Gorodetsky was an avid hunter. It is situated on No. 10, Bankova Street, across from the President of Ukraine's office in the historic Pechersk neighborhood. Since 2005 it has been used as a presidential residence for official and diplomatic ceremonies.[3]
Construction and early history
The House with Chimaeras was designed by the architect Vladislav Gorodetsky in 1901–1902.[2] Gorodetsky was born in 1863 into a generous Polish szlachta family in the Podillia region.[4] After finishing the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg in 1890, he moved to Kiev, where he lived for almost 30 years.[4] At the time of the building's construction, Gorodetsky had already established himself as a prominent Kiev architect, have designed many city buildings, from the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral to the Karaimska Kenasa and the current National Art Museum of Ukraine. Besides architecture, Gorodetsky was also interested in big-game hunting, which explains why his building features many animals.
The building was built on credit taken out by Gorodetsky[2][5] and was intended to be used as a commercial building for rent.[6][7] The house was designed in such a way that the tenants would occupy the whole floor, as a separate apartment, each connected by an elevator and stairs.[8] Gorodetsky himself occupied the fourth floor of the building, measuring at about 380 m˛ (4,100 sq ft).[6][9]
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