Pavlovs' City Manor

In the 18th century, Glazovsky Lane was called Nesvitsky and Strukov; later Major General P.M. Glazov, who distinguished himself during the siege of Ochakov and became Chief of St. Petersburg's Police, lent his name to the lane. In the Soviet period, this part was known as Lunacharsky Street. 

In 1905-1906, a new two-story mansion appeared on the corner of Denezhny Lane. It was commissioned by a prominent businessman Pyotr Pavlov, co-owner of the Manufacturers’ Partnership founded by   I.I. Skvortsov. Pavlov inherited the Partnership from his father-in-law, Ivan Skvortsov, who created the first mechanical textile mill of Kostroma province in 1897. Pyotr’s son, Nikolai, kept running and considerably extended the family business. 

The Pavlov family commissioned architect S.D. Kuchinsky to draw the mansion’s design. The layout and decorations of this relatively small building lean towards Vienna Secession. Glazed tiles of only two colors – bright turquoise and warm sand – cover the entire front wall. The corner is adorned with a lobed dome resembling an overturned bowl. 

The fully glazed oriel balcony on the second floor looks very ingenious. The window grilles form a regular geometric pattern consisting of triangles, squares, and circles. Metal decoration parts, festoons underneath cornices, a ring-fence, and other elements made by the traditional forging and cold working (pecking) methods, are also pleasant to the eye. 

A nearby low-set outbuilding that disrupts the architectural integrity and blocks the view of the main building from both adjacent lanes is of particular concern for architecture scholars. 

According to historical data, this house was one of the many buildings comprising Pavlovs’ homestead. There were stables, a carriage house, a forge, and a guards’ house (the said outbuilding) here. It appears that the factory owners lived elsewhere: in a mansion at 16 Denezhny Lane. Both sites have fencing of the same type, which can be a hint. The super-rich of the time could not possibly live in a corner house next to animals. 

As time went on, the house was added to and completely changed; some parts were demolished. 

After the revolution, the building was nationalized and used for government purposes; since 1963, it has been the seat of the United Nations Information Center. 

Restoration (2016)

As part of comprehensive renovation and restoration effort, GlavUpDK under the MFA of Russia conducted a thorough scientific study of the site, examined archival photographs and drawings, developed and coordinated the restoration and adaptation project, and prepared blueprints for façades and interiors.
 
The brick masonry of foundations, external walls, and existing vaults was reinforced. As a next step, the damp-proofing of the foundation walls and floor decks was renewed. The entire homestead received modern mechanicals and a brand-new firefighting system. 

The façade treatment included restoration of glazed subway tiles. 

 The elements that badly suffered from either physical or biological damage were taken out and replaced with copies produced in six colors per existing samples. After the new tiles had been attached, the joints were smoothed, followed by the pressure-washing of the entire façade. 

Spelter decorations crowning the main house cornice, festoons, and guards’ house’s meander were also carefully restored. All elements were cleaned, tinted, and sprayed with a special solution to prevent rotting and corrosion. 

The avant-corps was repaired, with a unique lantern light restored. All iron parts such as fencing sections, gates, roof guardrails, the canopy above the main entrance, and window grilles were thoroughly examined and fixed. Historical colors and patterns were re-applied to the window joinery. 

The restorers applied maximum effort to preserve the extant historical interior elements and respectfully replace the missing ones. The works involved justifying the possibility of recreating and using analogues from the late 19th – early 20th centuries. The rare entrance staircase made of dolomite with a wrought iron fence and plaster ceiling cornices in the piano nobiles were restored. Parquet floors and door casements were recreated per historical samples. All rooms re-acquired their authentic colors.
 
Parts of the roof that had been infected with fungi and lost their bearing capacity, namely wall plates, rafters, and battens, were replaced. The roof was covered with the new material, zinc-plated steel, without any change of dimensions and markings. The corner dome, also made of spelter, was cleaned from several layers of old paint with special paint removers. The seams were soldered and made tight. As a final step, the dome was repainted to match the color scheme of the façades. 

The fence running along Glazovsky and Denezhny Lanes was also restored. The works included mending and re-enforcing brick masonry of pylons, restoring their gypsum decorations, applying a paint coat to match the color scheme of the façades, siding of the basement wall with ceramic tiles, and repairing the gate’s metal grilles and leaf.