Bauwutze vor 100 Jahren5 Fotos

#### Construction Boom 100 Years Ago In the spring of 1913, the number of beggars on the streets of Kharkiv noticeably decreased. This change was noted by the local newspapers. But where had all the local beggars gone? Instead of staying in their usual places, they began to gather around construction sites. 100 years ago, Kharkiv was experiencing a genuine construction boom. The construction boom in Kharkiv began several years before World War I. Year after year, the number of buildings under construction increased: in 1908, the city authorities issued 417 construction permits; in 1909, this number rose to 498; in 1910, it was 609; in 1911, 738; and in 912, the total reached 822. Each subsequent month set a new record. With each passing season, more and more people wanted to build their homes. Here are some additional statistics: in the first three months of 1912, the city authorities approved the construction of 159 buildings; in the same period of 1913, this number increased to 208. Kharkiv’s skyscrapers As buildings became larger and taller, newspapers began to frequently mention the emergence of skyscrapers in the city. Although the tallest of them did not exceed six floors, it is important to remember that for the first time in 250 years, Kharkiv – which had previously consisted mainly of one- and two-story buildings – began to develop into a modern metropolis. Therefore, it is easy to understand why our predecessors were so amazed by these five- and six-story giants. Among the most impressive buildings were the new Merchant Bank building, which also included the “Astoria” hotel, located on the Trade Square (now Rosa Luxembourg Square); this building was often referred to as the “Melody House” because of a famous shop located there. Another notable building was the Medical Society’s headquarters, located at 14 Pushkin Street (now the I.I. Mechnikov Institute of Microbiology and Immunology). The Merchant Bank was opened on Christmas Eve 1912; in March 1913, the “Astoria” hotel opened there as well. According to newspapers, the hotel was equipped with all the latest European comforts and facilities: water supply, bathtubs, sewer system, telephones, and two elevators. ### Residential Buildings Of course, the majority of buildings constructed in Kharkiv were residential apartments. Construction activities were intense throughout the city – from the outskirts, such as Moskaliovka, Ivanovka, and the areas around Chebotarskaya and Yaroslavskaya streets, to the center of the city, including Sumskaya and Pushkin Street, all the way to the current Gorky Park. Even newly established streets east of Pushkin Street, in the direction of Zhuravlёvskiy Slope, were developed. This part of the city later became known as the “Quiet Center.” The 1920s were a golden age for Kharkiv’s construction industry. Many architects whose names have become synonymous with the city’s architectural heritage worked here, including Beketov, Velichko, Korenenko, Zagoskin, Ginzburg, Caune, Estrovic, Pokrovsky, Dikansky, Gorohov, and Rzepishevskiy. The development of so-called “company-owned housing” is closely associated with the name of Alexander Ivanovich Rzepishevskiy. Before this type of residential property emerged, apartments in multi-family buildings usually belonged to a specific owner who would sell or rent out the units within his building. Apartments were extremely expensive at that time. Not everyone could afford to even rent a decent one, let alone own one. In Kharkiv, renting a room with basic facilities cost anywhere from 300 to 350 rubles per year, depending on the location. Due to its high cost, Kharkov ranked third in Russia in terms of housing prices, after Saint Petersburg and Moscow. In the early 20th century, the idea of building apartments using shared funds – that is, with the money contributed by the residents themselves – emerged. The idea was that people would own their homes without having to worry about future increases in rent by the landlord. Rzepishevskiy was not the originator of this idea. In Kharkiv, the first such building was constructed at the end of the summer of 1910. The initiative came from a man named Lubarski, who persuaded eight partners to support this project. This four-story building still exists today; it starts at number 4 on Chernyshevskaya Street. Unfortunately, the sign that read “First Company-Owned Building” once displayed on the building has been lost over the years. A year later, several organizations in Kharkiv were already engaged in building apartments. One of them constructed a five-story building at the corner of Pushkin Street and Skrypnitskaya Street (now Vorobiyova Street). The organization was led by P.V. Markin, V.N. Abramov, and the military engineer V.M. Vitaliev. The building contained 20 apartments, and according to the founders’ calculations, the owners who became tenants no longer had to pay additional rent fees, saving them between 40.6% and 55.2% on their expenses. This building still stands today, although it has undergone significant renovations during the Soviet era. In early 1913, another organization called “Kharkiv Society for Permanent Apartments” was established under the leadership of architect Rzepishevskiy. He had come to Kharkov from Petersburg to work on the construction of the Merchant Bank building and stayed there afterward. The first residential building of the company-owned type that Rzepishevskiy designed was located at 19 Rymskaya Street. This building was significantly larger than previous ones: it contained 50 apartments, each with 2 to 8 rooms. The initial cost of construction was estimated at 656,949 rubles. Members of the society were required to pay 40% of the total cost upfront, while the remaining 60% was to be paid in installments. The owners were expected to earn a profit of around 15% on this investment. This was a considerable deal, considering that an apartment in this area at that time cost approximately 1600 rubles per year in rent. Source: vk.cc/1urHsi Philip Dikan #1solica_history