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19.08.2013

Tears of a stone widow

A marvelous building in modern stile is located on 23, Lyuteranska street. This is a house of widow. It rains – and one can see traces on the face of the woman, which decorates the house. The traces remind tears.

It’s impossible to count how many legends and narrations surround this mysterious house. But, the facts remain the facts: in distant 1908 Sergiy Arshavskyi, a merchant from Poltava, decided to built a house at one of the richest Kyiv street.

Edward-Ferdinand Bradtman was the architect of the building. A lot of Kyiv buildings were made by his projects – Solovtsov theatre, “Kontynental” hotel, circus, fire-fighting department on Podol district, commercial houses, private residences, clinics…

An attentive passerby could find name engraving –first letters of the owners name – “SA”.

In 1913 the owner of he house was changed - the house started to belong to the merchant from Kyiv Toviy Apshtein. A wonderful coincidence – the abbreviation “SA” matched to this owner, as both names of his suns names begun from “S” – Solomon and Samuil. Since 1918 the house passed to governmental ownership.

Nowadays, the building is an official residence of Ukrainian President and serves for reception of top-ranking foreign officials.

Generally, the historical facts are not as interesting as rumors, which form a sorrowful and mysterious image of the house. Whose face is modeled on the facade?

It is not known with certainty. A lot of art critics and historicist tried to find out whose image is it - is it Medusa, or Siren, or Gamayun (it’s important to pay attention to the wings on both sides). It’s very interesting that during the rain the drops run in such way, that even in sunny day the traces from “tears” are visible.

But the facts, that this is a widow are only surmises. One makes comparison with a wife of another owner: than he has died, the inconsolable widow went on at the house. Taking all this facts together, a new intriguing name has appeared! Also the myths concern famous people of that time. For example, there is a rumor that the sketch of stone face belongs to Mikhail Vrubel. One suppose the authorship to Vladyslav Gorodetskyi.

One may trust the legends about widow and her tears, and may criticize it. But the refinement of the architecture remains truth and one should see the house only for that, as arched windows and doors of the house, columns, stone modeling, luxurious balconies create a complete perfect form.




© Daria Bilokon’
Real estate agency "Teren Plus". Luxury apartments for rent in Kyiv downtown, apartments for daily rent. Property rent, houses for rent, offices for rent. Property management, relocation services.
August 2013

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