Apartment house of A.H. Pelya

The building was built in 1835-1846 by architect A. H. Pel, an apartment building on the corner of Mokhovaya and Pestel with three balconies and four griffins under each. The house on Mokhovaya Street in the center has an entrance arch, above which two pairs of columns with griffins support a balcony with a light lattice. Griffins look as if they were crushed by the weight of the balcony: they stand on short legs, leaning only on their short front legs, their wings are slightly open and their ends touch the wall. Bird heads have sharp beaks and a well-defined tongue. At the same time, the sculptures of griffins perform a purely constructive function: their heads and wings serve as a support for the balcony.