Among the old urban buildings, one structure stands out in particular: the building known as the House with Lions. It was built in 1905 in the Art Nouveau style and still attracts attention with its expressive facade, decorative details, and unusual history of ownership.
Architecture of the building
The house is a two-story building with the main entrance in the center. Its artistic expression comes from the contrast of materials and colors: unplastered brick walls are combined with cornices, pilasters, and window frames painted white.
This technique is characteristic of Art Nouveau architecture, where decorative elements do not simply adorn the facade, but create a complete artistic image of the building.
The house is especially recognizable for the lion mascarons located above the windows. A mascaron is a decorative element in the form of a mask of an animal, mythological creature, or character. In this case, the lion heads became the building's main symbol and gave it its popular name, the House with Lions.
Other architectural elements can also be seen on the facade: window surrounds, small pediments above the windows, keystones, risalits, dentils under the cornice, an attic, dormer windows, a bay window, and a parapet. These details make the facade more rhythmic and expressive.
The forged parapet grilles, made in the shape of intertwined snakes, are especially interesting.
The first owners of the house
The first owner of the house was Prince Vladimir Grigoryevich Chelokayev, of Georgian origin. He was the son of Grigory Platonovich Chelokayev, an officer of the 101st Perm Infantry Regiment.
The family was presumably connected with the well-known Russian general Prince Ilya Zaalovich Chelokayev, who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878.
Grigory Chelokayev, the father of the first owner, was born in 1846 and from 1867 served in the 101st Perm Regiment, which was then part of the Grodno garrison. He took part in the Russo-Turkish War, received military awards, and was also connected with the Orthodox St. Sophia Brotherhood.
In 1917 he received the rank of lieutenant general and was discharged from service.
Vladimir Chelokayev himself also served in the 101st Perm Regiment. It is known that in 1925 he lived in house No. 6 on Zelenaya Street, now Studencheskaya Street, with his wife Zinaida Pavlovna Bakhmutskaya.
The house, medicine, and city memory
The family history of the house is also connected with medicine. Vladimir Chelokayev's daughter, Nina, married doctor Grigory Alshibay. After that, the rooms on the first floor of the left wing were adapted for medical practice, and a separate entrance was arranged for patients.
The family's later fate is not known for certain, but a legend about the owner's death has survived among local residents. According to the story, he died while trying to start a car: the starter handle suddenly sprang back and struck him on the head.
After Soviet power arrived, the house was nationalized. At first, the building housed an infant home, and after the war a blood transfusion station was opened here.
In 2014 the station moved to a new building, after which the House with Lions remained abandoned for a long time.
Significance of the building
The House with Lions is not just an old building with a beautiful facade. It combines architectural value, family history, city legends, and the memory of different stages of the city's life.
Its decorative elements reveal the features of early twentieth-century Art Nouveau, while the story of its owners recalls the lives of people connected with this place.
Today, such a building deserves careful treatment and preservation, as it is part of the city's historic environment and an important witness to the architectural heritage of the beginning of the last century.
