Friends, today we will once again go for a walk along the streets of St. Petersburg to get acquainted with the building of the Second Mutual Credit Society. The building is interesting not only for its strict, memorable facade, but also for the fact that the author of its project was the famous architect Fyodor Ivanovich Lidval.
History of the building
Buildings stood on this site long before the construction of the building of the Second Mutual Credit Society. Thus, in the 1880s, the old structure was demolished, and the architect Kh. Kh. Tatski built a five-story apartment building in its place. It lasted for about 20 years.
The building that we see now was built in 1907–1909 by the architect Fyodor Lidval. It is noteworthy that a special competition was held to create the project for the structure. Lidval took only second place (the winner was M. S. Lyalevich). Despite this, the building was erected according to the design of the silver medalist. The competition jury noted the comfortable stairs, the abundance of light, and the successful layout in Lidval's plan.
As for the architect himself, he is called a leading master of the Art Nouveau and Neoclassical styles. The list of the architect's St. Petersburg buildings consists of 33 items. Lidval built apartment buildings, hotels, mansions, and bank buildings in our city.
The building of the Second Mutual Credit Society is also built in the Art Nouveau style. The facade is done in gray tones, and between the second and third floors, you can see a row of bas-reliefs. Researchers of St. Petersburg architecture call this building an outstanding monument of Art Nouveau with "classical" elements.
I haven't come across information about what was located here in Soviet times, but in a guidebook from the 1970s, the structure is designated as the "Building of the Promstroyproekt Institute". Judging by online directories and the inscription on the facade, the "Sadovaya 34" Shopping Center was recently located here.
In the winter of this year, rental information could be seen on the building's facade. Already in July, news appeared that the building had a new owner: it became the owner of a chain of St. Petersburg business centers.
How to get there by metro
The address of the building of the Second Mutual Credit Society is 34 Sadovaya Street. 200 meters away from it is the exit from the metro interchange hub "Spasskaya — Sadovaya — Sennaya Ploshchad". The structure is located north of the metro exits along Sadovaya.
In this area, you can also look at the Ya. I. Peretz house, drop by the Rotunda on Gorokhovaya, or visit the Central Museum of Railway Transport of the Russian Federation.
Have a great walk!
