The history of the Besser House on the banks of the Neva is unusual. First, about the owner of the building. Ivan Viktorovich von Besser was an actual state councilor, hereditary nobleman, and baron. Besser served in the "His Imperial Majesty's Own Chancellery." He was a member of the Board of Trustees for Labor Assistance, the "House of Industry for Educated Women," and the managing director of the joint-stock company "Puhtula-Gora."

The house on Vladimirsky Prospekt was built for the baron and, according to archival materials, by the Russian architect, academician of architecture of the Imperial Academy of Arts, Alexander Mstislavovich Kochetov. However, the well-known expert on St. Petersburg Art Nouveau, Candidate of Architecture Gennady Ivanovich Alekseev, suggested that the former income house of von Besser was erected according to the project of the outstanding Finnish architect Karl Allan Schulman, who served as the provincial architect of Vyborg. According to Alekseev, a prominent Soviet and Leningrad architect who worked professionally at the design institute "Lengiprostroy," this is a very exclusive building in St. Petersburg, executed by the famous Finnish architect Schulman in the style of Northern Art Nouveau. Of all the architects of the "Finnish school," Karl Schulman is the only known architect who built a building in the city on the Neva. In his book "Vyborg Architects," Finnish researcher Otto Meurman mentions the house of Baron von Besser, built according to Schulman’s project in St. Petersburg.

Ivan Viktorovich von Besser owned the only property in the city on the Neva, and historical documents indicate that it was house No. 19 on Vladimirsky Prospekt. In the 1910s, the baron's house underwent interior reconstruction, carried out by architect Alexander Mstislavovich Kochetov.

Thus, the conclusion suggests itself that Schulman originally built it, and Kochetov rebuilt the interior. Often, sources cite the latter as the author who made changes to the property. However, it is not so simple, and Schulman was not the first to build the Besser house in St. Petersburg. The situation becomes more complicated, so let us go further back in history.

The first historical mention of this building dates back to 1837. Later, historical sources note that a three-story house stood here. But who built it then? History does not provide an answer. The 1891 St. Petersburg house register lists the plot where the house of interest now stands as belonging to a certain Tolmachev.

By 1894, documents state that the owner became Ivan Viktorovich von Besser, who remained so until 1917. In the early 20th century, on September 12, the court councilor Baron von Besser announced a competition through the "St. Petersburg Society of Architects" for the best project to add two additional floors and carry out a major reconstruction.

The owner Besser gave a wide field for any creativity and literally "unleashed the architects' hands," allowing full freedom of style choice, except for "Russian." Designers were permitted to compose masses "without adhering to the existing facade forms."

An enormous sum for those times — 1000 rubles — was allocated for the top three prizes. The number of works submitted to the competition was unprecedentedly high — 88. Even architects from Germany responded, elevating the "casting" to an international level.

The prize podium was occupied by young architects, students of the famous Leonty Nikolaevich Benois — Oskar Rudolfovich Munz, Alexander Ivanovich Dmitriev, and Adam Iosifovich Ditrih. The overwhelming victory of the "Benois school" was unsurprising.

Russian architect Leonty (Ludwig) Nikolaevich, a representative of the Benois artistic dynasty who worked in the eclectic era, was a major master and teacher, founder, member, and honorary chairman of the "Society of Architect-Artists." His ancestors built extensively for the capital and cities of the Russian Empire.

Clearly, the outstanding architect had enormous fame and influence. However, it should be noted that Leonty Benois himself was on the competition jury and played the "first violin" there. But for some reason, Baron von Besser did not use any of the projects that took leading positions in the competition.

Ivan Viktorovich chose Karl Schulman, who worked extensively in the construction of Vyborg and Finland. However, as the competition’s top three proposed, the appointed architect applied a three-axis scheme in the reconstruction. At the same time, the master created a much more expressive composition.

Thus, the Besser income house was rebuilt in the Finnish Art Nouveau style in 1904, project author: Allan-Karl-Woldemar Schulman. After reconstruction, the Besser house became one of the rarest examples of Finnish school buildings in St. Petersburg.

Further known facts: in 1912 and 1914, the Besser house was internally rebuilt by architect Alexander Kochetov. The building housed the reception office of the imperial chancellery and opened the "House of Industry for Educated Women." Residential premises were located on the upper floors.

After the Great Patriotic War of 1941–1945, the building was repeatedly improved and each time acquired new architectural forms. In Soviet times, the building was repaired, and the first floors were equipped for trade, housing a pharmacy and a bakery.

As a result of numerous changes, the house became a complex architectural ensemble. It consisted of nine wings of different heights, located on various foundations, some of which adjoined neighboring buildings.

In the post-Soviet period, the former income house of Baron Besser was brought to a dilapidated state and planned for reconstruction. Nowadays, after a major overhaul, the walls of the Besser mansion house the "Vladimirsky Passage" shopping complex.

It should be noted that outstanding domestic architects, adherents of the St. Petersburg Northern Art Nouveau style, in their work adhered to the achievements of Scandinavian and Finnish architects. House No. 19 on Vladimirsky Prospekt in St. Petersburg is the only building by a Finnish school architect in which the Northern Art Nouveau style was synthesized. Some architectural elements of this house are unique for the city on the Neva. For example, the open gallery-balcony crowning the facade is very unusual for the appearance of St. Petersburg houses. Unfortunately, some details, which belonged to the best examples of architectural decoration and craftsmanship, were lost during the years of revolutions and wars.

In recent history, from 2001 to 2003, the house underwent reconstruction, during which the courtyard buildings were demolished. The silhouette of the front building was distorted by the addition of a mansard floor. Fortunately, much of the building’s interesting features remain to be admired today.

Unusual details have survived to this day for the Northern capital — loggia galleries with columns supporting the mansard overhang. Above the entrance arch, the coat of arms of the property owner is displayed. The side gables are decorated with the coat of arms of St. Petersburg.

The house features numerous owls and unique atlantes; picturesque bay windows are preserved, and the basement floor is decorated with plant ornamentation. A unified portal made of talc chlorite was added, enclosing the entrance to the courtyard and the doors of the shops.

Sources:

https://peterburg.center/maps/istoriya-dohodnogo-doma-barona-i-v-fon-bessera.html

https://www.citywalls.ru/house2012.html