Owls of the Vladimir Passage (Income House of I. V. von Besser)

Vladimirsky Ave., 19, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 191002

Architect – K.A. Shulman. Built in 1901 in the Northern Modern style. This is the only building by the famous Finnish architect in Saint Petersburg; other buildings designed by him can be seen in Vyborg. One of the distinctive features of Northern Modern is the decoration of buildings with figures of animals, mythological creatures, and plant ornaments.

Petersburg: The Hunt for Owls in Architectural Decor

This six-story building was constructed in 1904 on Vladimirskaya Square, on the eponymous avenue, on plot number 19. The facade of the building is designed in the "Northern Modern" style.

Most of the facade is covered with rough plaster—a cement coat. The remaining part is finished with smooth plaster. The building is adorned with gables on the sides at the top, and a lantern tower in the center. The facade of the first floor is faced with gray stone, both hewn and roughly processed. Above the entrance to the building is the owner's coat of arms. The construction date of the building is hidden under the shield. The premises on the first and second floors were designed for commercial purposes. Large display windows alternate with narrow semicircular ones.

In the corner piers at the level of the 3rd floor sit owls with wings raised upwards; numerous owls are found throughout, and decorative columns decorating the top sixth floor are supported by Atlantes of a unique kind. Also preserved are picturesque bay windows, and the basement floor is decorated with a plant ornament.

The gables are topped with bas-reliefs featuring plant ornaments and a zoomorphic figure—a bird. The bird sits on a shield with inverted and crossed anchors. According to the laws of heraldry, this is how the anchors of a fleet that has not suffered defeats in military actions are displayed.

You can learn more about this building here: https://reveal.world/story/dohodnyj-dom-i-v-fon-bessera-torgovo-gostinichnyj-kompleks-vladimirskij-passazh

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