Owls of the Badaev House

A vivid example of Northern Modern architecture is the P. T. Badaev apartment building, known to many as the "house with the sad angel." It was built at the corner of Vosstaniya and Zhukovsky streets in 1904–1906, designed by the brothers Vasily and Georgy Kosyakov. The facade of the building is richly decorated with sculptural groups. Already in 1907, Vasily Kosyakov was awarded a silver medal at the city facade competition for this building. It is one of the most striking buildings of the Modern era in the city. The rounded corner of the building is crowned with a gable featuring the image of the "sad angel" — a sculptural bas-relief in the form of a female figure. Above the female figure's head is a halo, shaped like a celestial sphere with zodiac signs. According to legend, the client of the construction, Panteleimon Badaev, had a daughter who committed suicide (she threw herself out of a window). Therefore, the angel with wings and a halo was meant to protect the house from misfortunes. The windows and balconies are framed with plant ornaments, and on the fifth-floor level on the side of Vosstaniya Street, three owls are perched, one of which is above the round window of the balcony, and the other two are on the sides, at the base of the columns. 

A more detailed description of the house can be found here: https://reveal.world/story/dohodnyj-dom-p-t-badaeva