Singer House

For the New York building, see Singer Building. For the Pennsylvania dwelling, see John F. Singer House.
Singer House
Π”ΠΎΠΌ ΠΊΠΎΠΌΠΏΠ°Π½ΠΈΠΈ Β«Π—ΠΈΠ½Π³Π΅Ρ€Β» (Russian)

Singer House
Alternative names House of Books
General information
Architectural style Art Nouveau
Location Nevsky Prospekt 28, Saint Petersburg, Russia
Coordinates 59Β°56β€²9β€³N 30Β°19β€²32β€³Eο»Ώ / ο»Ώ59.93583Β°N 30.32556Β°Eο»Ώ / 59.93583; 30.32556Coordinates: 59Β°56β€²9β€³N 30Β°19β€²32β€³Eο»Ώ / ο»Ώ59.93583Β°N 30.32556Β°Eο»Ώ / 59.93583; 30.32556
Completed 1904
Design and construction
Architect Pavel Suzor

Singer House (Russian: Π”ΠΎΠΌ ΠΊΠΎΠΌΠΏΠ°Π½ΠΈΠΈ Β«Π—ΠΈΠ½Π³Π΅Ρ€Β»), also widely known as the House of Books (Russian: Π”ΠΎΠΌ ΠΊΠ½ΠΈΠ³ΠΈ), is a building located at the intersection of Nevsky Prospekt and the Griboyedov Canal, directly opposite the Kazan Cathedral in Saint Petersburg, Russia. It is recognized as a historical landmark, has official status as an object of Russian cultural heritage, and contains the headquarters of the VK social network.

History

The building was designed by architect Pavel Suzor for the Russian branch of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. The management of the Singer Company initially intended to construct a skyscraper, similar to the Singer Building, the company headquarters being built at that time in New York, but the Saint Petersburg building code did not allow structures taller than the Winter Palace, residence of the emperor. The architect found an elegant solution to the 23.5 meter height limit: the six-story Art Nouveau building is crowned with a glass tower, which in turn is topped by a glass globe sculpture created by Estonian artist Amandus Adamson.[1] This tower creates the impression of a substantial elevation, but is subtle enough not to overshadow either the Kazan Cathedral or the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood.

In 1919, not long after the October Revolution, the building was given to the Petrograd State Publishing House. It quickly became the city's largest bookstore, and was subsequently named "The House of Books" in 1938. The bookstore remained functioning during the Siege of Leningrad until November 1942, reopening again in 1948. The building closed for reconstruction from 2004-2006, reopening as the home of several businesses, including the familiar House of Books. [2] and CafΓ© Singer.[3]

Sources

References

External links

Media related to Singer House at Wikimedia Commons

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