The profitable house of Muruzi

The address: 24/26, Liteiny Prospect

Photo:

Gallery

The Location on the map of the city:

The History of the house:

The monument of architecture of 19 century, the 5-storeyed profitable house, was built in 1874-1877 (by architect A. K. Serebryakov), belonged to prince Alexander Dmitrievich Muruzi(1807-1880).

At the beginning of the 19 century there was a wooden house of one of the founders of the Russian-American company Nikolay Petrovitch Resanov (1764-1807)

In 1848-50 the house belonged to Prince V. V. Kochubey - the famous collector, the numismatist, the councilor of state, the assistant to the trustee of the Petersburg educational district. He was the expert on antiquities, the collector of ancient Greek coins, pictures, porcelain and ancient silver. Kochubey was the full member of Russian Archeological society.

In 1874 prince A. D. Muruzi had got a lot and in 1877 he finished the construction of the house in "Moorish style".

In 1890-1917 the house belonged to General O.F. Rein.

In 1889-1913 D.S. Merezhkovsky and Z.N. Gippius lived in the house.

In 1919 studio of young translators was opened in the house.

In 1921 N.S. Gumilev opened « The House of Poets ».

In 1955-1972 in a municipal apartment, 28 lived the poet, Nobel Prize winner Joseph Aleksandrovich Brodsky.

The Architectural portrait of the house:

A. K. Serebryakov executed the project of the house. Serebryakov copied religious sayings of moors for the house of Muruzi. It was his best construction. Construction work lasted for two seasons and was finished in 1877. There were 57 apartments and 7 shops.

Inner decoration of the house:

The house had water heating, a water pipe, a steam laundry, 28 bathrooms. There were wall clock, mirrors, carpets, little tables, 5 chairs, and also liveries for door-keepers on each of 5 main staircases. There was the marble board with copper letters of a surname of the owner near the front door.

Ornamentation of Muruzi apartment consist of 26 rooms was especially good. The inner staircase made from white karrarsky marble led to a hall on the first floor which reminds a court yard of Moorish palaces. Smoking room was designed in eastern style too. Other rooms were decorated with stucco modeling, gilding, painted plafonds, marble and oak fireplaces.

Tenants of Muruzi house:

Oak doors at a corner Liteinyi and Panteleimonovskaja (now Pestel) street led to the famous shop of gingerbreads of Nikolay Abramov. Next to this shop there was a hairdressing salon of a fashionable «kuafer» Jean-Batist Geren, the French citizen. Senators, stats-secretaries, professor, generals and famous lawyers occupied apartments on the first and second floors. Among them there were the economist of V. P. Bezobrazov, the senator and the academician; the philosopher De-Roberti; the general-major A.A. Pushkin, the oldest son of Alexander Sergeevich Pushkin and others. Students occupied opper floors of Muruz house.

But the glory of Muruzi house is connected with literature.

In 1879 N.S. Leskov lived on the third floor in a small three-room apartment.

A.I. Kuprin was the frequent visitor of official N.A. Ljubimov. Probably, the real events of the story «The Garnet bracelet» by Kupin took place here.

Dmitry Merezhskovsky and Zynaida Gippius have lived here almost for a quarter of a century.

Young Sergey Yesenin often came here, Valery Brusov and Andrey Belyj read their verses here; Alexander Blok was a desirable guest.

In the spring 1919 the studio of publishing house «World literature» was placed studio in the house. A. Block read his verses in the studio. Maksim Gorkyi the head of the publishing house, often visited the studio. Among the teachers of the studio there were Gumilev, Chukovskyi and others.

In 1921 Gumilev organized the literary evenings under the name « The House of Poets » in Muruzi house.

After the revolution of 1917 the apartment of Muruzi house were occupied by tenants of “a new type”. Luxurious apartments turned into big municipal flats. Beautiful elements as plywood partitions and common kitchen appeared.

In 1955 the family of photographer A. I. Brodsky with his wife M. M. Volpert and son Joseph Brodsky got the order for two rooms in an apartment 28. J. Brodsky lived here until his emigration in 1972.

The idea to create Museum of A.I. Brodsky's in his former apartment appeared after the writer had been awarded with a Nobel Prize in literature. Now the museum occupies only "one and a half rooms " and doesn’t work regularly. The Fund of the basis of a museum Brodsky (USA) tries to find sponsors to redeem an apartment 28 in Muruzi house entirely.

Modern life of the house:

After pulling down the house (26, Liteiny Prospect) the house of Muruzi was in a pitiable condition, the walls were in cracks, the base was half destroyed. Term of operation of the house is 70 years, but it stays 150 years and for this time a major overhaul has been never made in it.

P. S.

The governor of the city Matvienko V.I. signed the resolution about making the reconstruction in the House of Muruzi. The settling of the tenants and the reconstruction will be paid by the company which is guilty. Accord-ing to approximate counting the sum will be 14 million dollars. Besides the government of the city is going to apply to the Office of Public Prosecutor with demand to investigate the right of actions of builders on Liteyniy, 26. The officials hope that it will put end with impunity and illegal actions in a building market.