The Yeliseyev family name is likely known to almost everyone who has visited Saint Petersburg, as it is nearly impossible to pass by the "Yeliseyev" store on Nevsky Prospect. Pedestrians often look up to admire the unusual sculptures mounted on the building and marvel at the massive glazed arch facing the city's main street.
Although the building on Nevsky is the most famous Saint Petersburg structure related to the Yeliseyev family, today we will head east to Vasilyevsky Island, where there is another fascinating building that once housed the office and apartments of the prominent merchants.
How to Get There by Metro
The address of the house is Birzhovaya Line, 14. The nearest metro station is "Sportivnaya." The station is notable for its long underground passage connecting the two vestibules across the Malaya Neva.
A Bit of History
The Yeliseyev House with its wings is listed in the Cultural Heritage Registry of Saint Petersburg under the address Birzhovaya Line 12–14. In fact, the famous merchant family owned several neighboring buildings. Today, we are interested only in the four-story building at number 14.
The founder of the entrepreneurial dynasty, Peter Yeliseyevich Yeliseyev, a former peasant from Yaroslavl Province, moved to Saint Petersburg in 1813. The first Yeliseyev store was located in the house of K. B. Kotomin on Nevsky Prospect, 18. After the merchant's death, the business was continued by his widow, Maria Gavrilovna, and their sons Sergey, Grigory, and Stepan. The year 1858 marks the founding of the "Brothers Yeliseyev" Trading House.
The building for the Yeliseyevs on Birzhovaya Line, 14, was constructed by architect Nikolai Pavlovich Grebenka in 1861–1862. Three decades later, the building was renovated and its interiors were redecorated by Gavriil Vasilyevich Baranovsky. Both architects contributed to the construction of many Saint Petersburg buildings, and they also built several other structures for the Yeliseyevs.
The ground floor of the four-story house housed a store. The building also included the merchants' office and their apartments. The upper floors were considered service areas, and the basement was used as a warehouse. The courtyard building housed a chocolate factory.
After the revolution, the building housed apartments for employees of the Optical Institute. Today, several departments of ITMO University are located here. It is not possible to simply walk into the former mansion, but as with many other Saint Petersburg landmarks, you can take a tour of the interiors as part of a group excursion with the "Open City" project.
Have a nice trip!
