K.A. Gutheil's Mansion

Adjacent to Prechistenka Street, Prechistensky Lane (earlier known as Mertvy Lane) was renamed as Ostrovsky Lane in Soviet Russia after Nikolai Ostrovsky, the author of How the Steel was Tempered. One theory is that the name Mertvy (‘Dead’) came from the 1771 plague, killing almost all locals and emptying their houses. This is why the nearby Church of the Assumption of the Virgin has added ‘on the Graves’ to its original name. However, more plausible explanation is that, historically, this land has long been owned by an old noble family of the Mertvagos (which translates into English as ‘deadly’). 

Anyway, the name did not scare away the nobles and wealthy people who had long been fond of the place. A trend to buy vacant lots in Moscow's center to put up mansions for future owners on a turnkey basis arose at the turn of the 20th century. The buildings reflected the architects' ideas, styles, tastes, and vision. 

The house in Prechistensky Lane was designed in a somewhat restrained and chilly British manner, with Rococo motifs giving it a touch of elegance and a chamberlike setting. The façade is covered with sparkling glazed tiles of an exquisite light blue color, highlighted by stucco panels with baroque babies and an elegant female head – the architect's trademark. The glass canopy is added as a tribute to French Art Nouveau. Since Walcot never used such decorations, it must have been the customer's idea. 

Uncommon for Art Nouveau, the mansion is designed to a strictly symmetrical plan. It would be noteworthy to compare this Walcot's work with other classical buildings designed by Fyodor Schechtel or Lev Kekushev. 

The house belonged to Karl Gutheil, whose father founded A.B. Gutheil music publishing company and owned a lot of shops that published and distributed piano scores by famous Russian and foreign composers.  

Being one of the first to discover and support young Sergei Rachmaninoff, Karl Gutheil became his publisher and a devoted friend. 

After the 1917 Revolution, the mansion housed a preschool orphanage, then the Central House of the Children's Communist Movement, and eventually the diplomatic mission of the Kingdom of Morocco in the 1950s. 

Restoration (2015)

Laureate of the competition "Moscow Restoration - 2015": For the best organization of repair and restoration work.

The sophisticated renovation project by GlavUpDK under the MFA of Russia has improved the building operating framework, as well as has recreated its historical appearance as close as possible to the original. 

The renovation included the foundation strengthening, waterproofing of walls and floors in the basement and on the ground floor, and the antifungal treatment of brickwork with Preventol. The attic and intermediate floors were re-arranged, the wooden crate replaced, and the truss system changed to a metal one. The roof has also been completely replaced. 

The stained-glass window of transparent facet glass above the entrance and the stained-glass window in the hall featuring the blue sky, flying birds, and stylized flowers were damaged so much that they had to be dismantled and taken to a special workshop. On the other hand, an equally deplorable wooden coffered ceiling in one of the rooms was restored onsite as its dismantling would cause irreparable losses. 

The experts have meticulously restored the marble-faced columns and the grand staircase of the lobby, plaster decor and fireplaces, oak paneling, oak doors, window frames and skirting boards. 

As a result, while preserving all historical valuables in the layout and decoration, the renovation project has restored an executive-class appearance of the building's front area interiors. 

The restoration of ceramic tiles has removed all cracks and chips and restored the glaze color. All of the defects were repaired, and ceramic pieces in five different shades were made for the fragments where the cladding was missing. The vases over the entrance avant-corps, stucco panels, and a canopy were also restored. 

Restoration also included external and interior works in building No. 2 (wing) and a metal fence section along Prechistensky Lane.