New Dacha (Ministerial)

Next to the old dacha (Krestovka Embankment, 7), the New Dacha building was erected according to the project of architect Charlemagne in 1836-1838.

After the completion of construction in 1838, the dacha was called the New Dacha, then Mariinskaya. Since the second half of the 19th century, it has been called the Ministerial Dacha. The history of His Imperial Majesty’s New Dacha is closely connected with the neighboring Own Dacha on the embankment of the Krestovka River, 7. The construction was carried out by a team of carpenters led by Kisarin. The joinery work was done by master Efimov. The molding inside the rooms and on the facades (medallions) was executed by Balin. The finishing of the New Dacha was completed in 1838.

The wooden two-story house, built from logs placed vertically “in a tight fit,” is a parallelepiped with a gable roof, set on a high stylobate. The architectural character of the building is given by the semicircular niches with windows and the molded round medallions with lion masks on the end walls of the second floor. This compositional technique evokes associations with a stage portal, adding ambiguity to the laconic forms of the dacha. The facades are clad with boards “in a cut.” The surface texture corresponds to the plastic lapidary quality of the architectural image. This is an original example of wooden architecture of late classicism.

The layout of the Own Dacha plot and the garden design were carried out under the guidance of garden master P. Buk. He created a landscape composition based on a combination of solitary trees and groups of plants with a grassy lawn. In the western part of the Own Dacha territory, a round pond was dug. The orchard, as well as the vegetable garden, were located in the coastal part. In the early 1870s, the New Dacha was rebuilt according to the project of architect Monighetti.

After 1918, it became part of the sanatorium complex of Kamenniy Island.

In the early 2000s, the building was completely abandoned. After a full reconstruction, it now houses a private residence.

Sources:

https://www.citywalls.ru/house11255.html