Singer House or House of Books

In 1902, at the corner of Nevsky Prospect and the Griboedov Canal, directly opposite the Kazan Cathedral, the American company "Singer" purchased a plot of land. The company manufactured sewing machines and by that time already had a large factory in Podolsk and 3,000 stores across Russia.

The Singer management planned to open an office in St. Petersburg and chose one of the busiest locations in the city center for it. All previous buildings on the site were demolished.

The company owners planned to build a skyscraper in St. Petersburg at least 11 stories high; at the same time, the firm was constructing a 47-story office in New York, effectively the first skyscraper. This contradicted architectural regulations: by law, no building in the capital could be taller than the Winter Palace. However, the restrictions only applied to the height of the facades. Architect Pavel Suzor, who was commissioned to design the project, proposed a compromise solution: to the six floors designed in Art Nouveau style, he added an attic, which was allowed. Above it, he erected a decorative corner tower topped with a sphere shaped like a globe.

The granite facade of the building was decorated with wrought iron grilles, plant ornaments, and sculptures of mythological characters. On the corner section under the glass tower were images of winged Valkyries. In Scandinavian mythology, these warrior maidens were considered daughters of the supreme god Odin and symbolized courage, honesty, and justice. According to Pavel Suzor’s design, they were depicted full-length, standing on rostra—the prows of ships. One Valkyrie held a harpoon, a symbol of seafaring: at that time, almost all trade was connected with sea voyages. Another maiden held a spindle, symbolizing light industry. Under her elbow stood a sewing machine. At the top of the tower, a huge glass globe was installed, supported by stone sculptures of sailors. The globe symbolized Singer’s intention to cover the entire world with its trade network.

A ribbon with the company’s name encircled the globe along the equator. In the evenings, it was brightly illuminated by electric lamps. The idea succeeded: the building, constructed in 1904, truly towered over the city; during the day, the glass tower sparkled in the sunlight, and in the evening, the then-rare electric lighting brightly illuminated the glass globe.

Illustration from the book: Built for Centuries, Elena Zabrodina, Anna Rastorgueva, and Maria Larina

The sewing company’s office was notable not only for its height. For the first time in Russia, elevators and safes with intricate locks appeared here. A new system of roof self-cleaning using steam was installed. The building was adorned with huge windows, and the inner courtyard was crowned with an atrium vault.

Singer was one of the first to start selling sewing machines on credit. In St. Petersburg, there was even a saying, “Running from Singer,” which meant buying goods on installment and then hiding to avoid payment.

The company’s founder, Isaac Singer, born in America, was the son of German immigrants, so in Europe the company widely used the image of a supposedly German company with German quality. Therefore, at the beginning of World War I, the counterintelligence of the Russian General Staff accused the company of spying for Germany. Moreover, it was the Singer company that made uniforms for the Russian army, although few knew about this. The owners hastily remembered they were Americans, urgently leased the first floor of the building to the American consulate for greater credibility, and placed an eagle on the glass dome. But this did not help—Singer was accused of spying for Germany; searches and arrests took place in the company’s offices, but no proof of espionage was found.

Interestingly, this single-headed eagle survived in 1917 but mysteriously disappeared during the NEP years. The eagle currently on the building was restored based on surviving sketches and photographs.

Eventually, Singer moved out of the building in 1917. In 1919, the bookstore “House of Books” moved in, occupying the first two floors. The remaining five floors were given to various editorial offices and publishing houses. In the 1930s, the children’s publishing house “Lendetgiz” opened here.

Various stories and legends are associated with these famous machines. For example, during Soviet times, rumors circulated that almost all machines contained elements made of either palladium, platinum, or gold. People bought up machines all over Russia. However, nothing was ever found.

Later, even more. In 1998, the company announced that among Russian machines there was one with a serial number starting with the digit “1.” The owner was promised a reward of one million dollars. However, society called this rumor another attempt to advertise the company’s products, which at that time were already suffering serious losses.

Another legend is connected with wealthy emigrants who, fleeing abroad after the revolution, melted down their jewelry into the shape of a sewing machine so it could be taken out of the country. All valuables were confiscated at the border, but household items could be carried without problems. According to legend, black-painted golden machines were then sought after worldwide.

The last legend claimed that some machines contained the legendary red mercury, which was used in the construction of the atomic bomb, and it could be detected by bringing a mobile phone close to it, which would stop working.

Pavel Durov, co-owner and former head of the company VKontakte, who rented an office in the Singer House, continued the tradition of scandalous advertising, for example, throwing five-thousand-ruble bills out of his office window.