Friends, today we are once again embarking on a small journey through the world of St. Petersburg architecture to take a look at the unusual facade of the former tenement house of Anglares. The building is most interesting for the figures of atlantes supporting the bay windows. They have been described as comical, curious, and even some of the ugliest figures. Well, let's get to know them better.
How to Get There by Metro
The address of the house is Sapyorny Lane, 13. The nearest metro stations are "Chernyshevskaya" and "Ploshchad Vosstaniya." These are on the red line of the metro.
A few dozen meters from the house is Mitavsky Lane, which is reportedly one of the narrowest passages in the city. What an interesting sight, don't you think?
A Bit of History
The Anglares House was built between 1880 and 1881 by architect Pavel Petrovich Deineka (also spelled Deyneko). His list of works in St. Petersburg is small: he built six residential buildings, mainly in the current Central District of the city. The first owner of the building on Sapyorny Lane was gubernial secretary Sergey Anglares.
In the initial design, there were no atlantes, but they were added during the construction of the building. These figures look truly unusual: their heads are covered with animal skins, and they wear boots with laces. The atlantes' gazes, positioned on the right side, are directed towards Mayakovsky Street. It almost seems as though these stern giants are waiting for someone from that side. In addition to the atlantes, the facade features a variety of masks, dragon figures, caryatids, and putti.
Anglares owned the building for only a short time: in December 1882, the city's credit society put the building up for sale due to unpaid debts. Before the Revolution, the building changed owners several times. During the Soviet era, the former tenement apartments were converted into communal apartments.
According to the memories of residents, a major renovation took place in the 1970s. During the renovation, the historical interiors of the apartments and public spaces were destroyed. The residents recall the loss of a fireplace in one of the hallways, a glass dome over the staircase, and balusters with figures of seahorses.
A memorial plaque on the building's facade commemorates that the Minister of Railways M. I. Khilkov once lived here. Locals also recall that the house was home to educator A. Y. Trupchinskaya, actress N. I. Komarovskaya, and scientist S. M. Rys.
I recommend that readers explore other architectural landmarks in my articles about the unusual houses of St. Petersburg.
Have a nice trip!
