The mansion of Matilda Feliksovna Kshesinskaya

The mansion was built in 1904-1906. The building is an example of classical northern Art Nouveau, it is characterized by an asymmetrical plan and a composition of unevenly high volumes. The free rhythm of the windows of different sizes corresponds to the location of the rooms. A contrasting combination of finishing materials was used: red and gray granite, facing bricks and majolica tiles, decorative metal. The building had no entrance from the street, in order to get into it, you had to go through the gate into a small courtyard, and then climb the main staircase to the hall, which is connected to the premises. There were office rooms in the basement. On the ground floor there were rooms for receptions, evenings, balls, on the second floor there was a bedroom, a children's room, a bathroom and other living quarters. The interior of the ground floor is organized in the form of a suite with a glazed winter garden. The interiors of the mansion were stylistically heterogeneous, combining Neoclassical, Russian Empire and Art Nouveau styles in various rooms, which was determined by the wishes of the customer, who actively participated in the selection of interior solutions. In Soviet times, the design was lost, but since the mid-1980s it has been partially restored.