| House with Chimaeras | |
|---|---|
 The front façade of the House with Chimaeras | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Architectural style | Art Nouveau |
| Location | Lypky, Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Address | 10 Bankova Street |
| Coordinates | 50°26′42″N 30°31′43″E / 50.44500°N 30.52861°E |
| Construction started | 1901 |
| Completed | 1902 |
| Technical details | |
| Structural system | Concrete piles Continuous foundation |
| Floor count | 3 (Bankova) 6 (Franko Square) |
| Floor area | 3,309.5 m2 (35,623.16 sq ft) |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Władysław Horodecki |
House with Chimaeras (Ukrainian: Будинок з химерами, Budynok z khymeramy) or Horodetsky House (named for Władysław Horodecki) is an Art Nouveau building located in the historic Lypky neighborhood of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Situated across the street from the President of Ukraine's office at No. 10, Bankova Street, the building has been used as a presidential residence for official and diplomatic ceremonies since 2005.[1][2] The street in front of the building is closed off to all automobile traffic, and is now a patrolled pedestrian zone due to its proximity to the Presidential Administration building.
The Polish architect Władysław Horodecki originally constructed the House with Chimaeras for use as his own upmarket apartment building during 1901–02. However, as the years went by, Horodecki eventually had to sell the building due to financial troubles, after which it changed ownership numerous times before finally being occupied by an official Communist Party polyclinic until the early 2000s.[3] When the building was vacated, its interior and exterior decor were fully reconstructed and restored according to Horodecki's original plans.[4]
The building derives its popular name from the ornate decorations depicting exotic animals and hunting scenes, which were sculpted by Italian architect Emilio Sala, since Horodecki was an avid hunter.[5] The name does not refer to the chimaera of mythology, but to an architectural style known as chimaera decoration in which animal figures are applied as decorative elements to a building. Horodecki's unique architectural style earned him praise as the Antoni Gaudí of Kyiv.[4][6]
- ^ Laws of Ukraine. Cabinet of Ministers decree No. 340: On the addition to the house on 10, Bankova St. in the city of Kyiv the status of a government residence. Adopted on 2005-05-11. (Ukrainian)
- ^ Shokalo, Marta (2005-04-01). "The aura is fine, but the place is too small" (in Ukrainian). BBC Ukrainian. Retrieved 2006-09-30.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
riddlewas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Ivanenko 2004
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
vinnytsia_librarywas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Rinkus, Sonya. "heed the krai". elementmoscow.ru. Archived from the original on 2007-11-09. Retrieved 2006-09-30.