In 1897, it was permitted to lease free plots for long-term rent — for 90 years. To preserve the park landscape, new houses were required to be built "in the middle of the garden," without enclosing them with solid fences. At the beginning of the 20th century, a unique ensemble of mansions and summer houses in the Art Nouveau and Neoclassicism styles was formed here. Alas, many buildings have disappeared in recent decades. Today, there are fewer historical monuments on the island, but the number of solid fences has increased immeasurably. In the central part of Kamenniy Island, in a picturesque setting on the shores of the Big Canal, there is a group of original houses built in the late 1890s and 1900s in the spirit of the neo-romantic direction of Art Nouveau. In 1903, Swiss citizen Eduard Follenweider, a wealthy tailor and supplier to the Imperial Court, signed a lease agreement for a plot. In the summer of 1904, log outbuildings reminiscent of traditional wooden northern architecture were erected above the canal's edge (not preserved). In September 1904, Meltzer presented a mansion project — a two-story wooden house including a stone first floor on the south side. Stone hipped towers and an adjoining vestibule, a wooden faceted tower with a conical top, and a glazed veranda were meant to harmonize with the nearby Schene building. Later, it was decided to build the mansion entirely of stone. In general, Meltzer preserved the original composition.
As a result, the house was placed right at the edge of the canal. The romantic appearance of the mansion with its multi-pitched tiled roof and hipped tower evokes associations with old castles. At the same time, the composition consists of purely functional elements, stripped of decoration. In this work by Roman (Robert-Friedrich) Meltzer, court architect and artistic director of the largest furniture and carpentry firm in Russia, new formative principles found deep embodiment. These include the free organization of the plan and the volumetric structure growing from it, the plastic expression of masses, the organic unity of parts and elements, an active picturesque silhouette, and multidimensional connections with the landscape.
Powerful plastic volumes form a dynamically tense, picturesque-asymmetrical composition of the mansion. The whiteness of the walls contrasts with the granite cladding of the plinth, which has a rocky texture, and the complex silhouette of the multi-pitched tiled roof, finished with a resiliently curved hipped roof over the tower and chimneys. Echoes of medieval castle motifs add a strong romantic note to the building's appearance. This mansion, along with Meltzer’s own house and the income houses built by Lidval, belongs to the early and most significant works of "northern" Art Nouveau in St. Petersburg. The perception of the different facades of the Follenweider mansion requires a circular walk-around. The southern facade facing the canal and the western one, which leads to the main entrance from the Great Alley marked by granite gate pillars, are more expressive. Freely grouped masses, intersections of volumes and planes, and a variety of rhythmic patterns give the composition heightened plastic expression. The building is characterized by the generalization of forms. Apart from the decorative half-timbering, there are no functionally unjustified elements on the tower. The open terrace and the sloping plinth, clad with granite blocks of uneven height, emphasize the building’s connection to the ground. The rectangular tower is flush with the vestibule, facade joints are hidden by faceted projections, and powerful brackets provide a smooth transition from the walls to the protruding volumes. These techniques emphasize the continuity and organic interconnection of all parts of the composition. The windows, diverse in shape and grouping (more than ten types), reflect the internal layout of the mansion on the facades. The picturesque silhouette of the roof has become an essential element of the building’s appearance.
The Follenweider mansion belongs to the early and most striking examples of "northern Art Nouveau" in St. Petersburg. This variant of the new style was largely shaped under the influence of the national romanticism of Finland and Scandinavia. Meltzer, like his St. Petersburg colleagues, was not shy about adopting lessons from northern neighbors. The influence of the young but already famous Finnish trio of architects Saarinen, Gesellius, and Lindgren is evident in the monumental laconic volumes, the massive tower with a curved hipped roof, the white smooth walls shaded by gray granite plinths, and the red tiled roof.
Despite this reference, Meltzer created a quite independent work. The image of the house is full of plastic expression and imbued with a romantic spirit. The free picturesque-asymmetrical composition is distinguished by the dynamics of masses, smooth or contrasting articulations of parts and elements. The building seems to be molded from large volumes of different shapes and heights. Each facade is designed in its own way. The deliberately complicated silhouette is dominated by a traditional tower. But the tiled roof itself became, perhaps for the first time in St. Petersburg residential construction, such an active element of the structure. The windows, varied in pattern and grouping, externally reveal the features of the mansion’s internal layout.
The enfilade-corridor layout of the house is more traditional than its volumetric structure. On the first floor were the study, living room, dining room, and kitchen; on the second — the library, children’s rooms, and bedroom with a boudoir. The interior decoration has been partially preserved: ornamental stucco, stoves, and marble fireplaces with mirrors. The tower houses the main staircase — its dynamic spiral of light flights is framed by a railing with a geometric plant pattern.
Visible from afar, as if growing out of the ground, the Follenweider mansion remains one of the distinctive landmarks of Kamenniy Island. The building’s appearance evokes associations with old castles while simultaneously embodying bold Art Nouveau innovations.
During Valentina Matviyenko’s governorship, cultural heritage monuments were handed over by the city government to companies for investment projects. In 2009, the Follenweider mansion was transferred to LLC "Business-Invest" for reconstruction. According to the contract terms, the mansion was supposed to become a 5-star hotel, but the hotel has yet to appear.
Sergey Matviyenko, son of the Speaker of the Federation Council of the Russian Federation and former governor of St. Petersburg Valentina Matviyenko, became the sole owner of LLC "Business-Invest" and LLC "Axioma." This information is contained in extracts from the tax inspectorate registry, with records appearing in the second week of August. These companies own the Vonlyarlyarsky Income House on the English Embankment and the Follenweider mansion on Kamenniy Island.
In 1958, the film "Mr. X" (based on Kalman’s operetta) was shot here.
In 1979, the house "starred" in the film "The Adventures of Prince Florizel" — it housed the Suicide Club, and near the house took place the historic duel between the prince and the Chairman.
In 1988, the mansion played the role of Grillo’s house in the filming of the movie "Mr. Decorator."
The mansion also appeared in "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson," episode "The Treasures of Agra," where Holmes and Watson, following Tori, run to the gate past which Sholto had passed the day before. Now, to the left of it, there is a security booth.
Sources:
https://www.citywalls.ru/house2958.html
https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Особняк_Фолленвейдера
https://www.221b.ru/geo/7-run.htm
