The House of City Institutions (also known as the "City House") is an architectural monument and an administrative building located in the center of Saint Petersburg at Sadovaya Street, 55–57 and Voznesensky Prospect, 40–42. The building has a double address because it was constructed on the land of two house plots. The architect was Alexander Lvovich Lishnevsky, with stucco decoration executed in the workshops of Zhilkin and Egorov. It was built between 1904 and 1906 to accommodate a number of city institutions. Throughout its existence, neither the volumetric-spatial structure nor the original facade decoration has undergone significant changes. The house is designed in a mixed style, with certain facade elements attributed to Art Nouveau, pseudo-Gothic, and other stylistic directions. Currently, the building houses offices of various organizations and city institutions, including the State Multifunctional Center for the Provision of State Services.

At the beginning of the 19th century, two house plots occupied the site where the current House of City Institutions stands. Until 1815, the house at the current address Sadovaya Street, 55 belonged to titular counselor Ivan Petrovich Milov and was listed as number 216 in the 3rd quarter of the 3rd Admiralty district of Saint Petersburg. The house was a three-story main building with adjoining side wings that had no street entrances. The basement was residential, with a main entrance and two rectangular side passages in the central part of the facade. The latter was decorated with a four-column Corinthian portico, with columns placed at the level of the second floor, as well as a balcony with a decorative metal railing spanning the width of the portico. The facades of the first floor and basement were rusticated, while the smooth "three-axis" facades of the wings were crowned with stepped attics. In 1826, the Saint Petersburg City Society purchased house No. 216 from Batashova (widow of collegiate assessor Batashov). From 1863, the building housed the General Presence and the First Department of the Charity Board. After the abolition of the latter institution, the city authorities faced the question of how to use the vacated premises. For a time, the building partially housed the office of the city governor, while the transverse courtyard wing and some rooms facing Voznesensky Prospect contained the police archive and apartments for officials working in the archive. At the end of 1877, the third floor of the wing on Voznesensky Prospect housed a temporary hospital for syphilis patients with 50 beds and a smallpox vaccination point.

In 1879, after major repairs, the Orphan's Court and the Address Expedition were located in the building by order of the Saint Petersburg City Duma. The latter remained until the late 1880s, closing on March 17, 1887. By the 1890s, the building and side wings had undergone some changes: one of the passages was bricked up, the main entrance was equipped with an iron canopy, and the balcony was dismantled. Entrances from the street were made in the central parts of the wings. In 1901, the City Maternity Shelter of Grand Duchess Tatiana Nikolaevna was established in the building.

As early as 1815, the corner house built on the plot where the current building at Sadovaya Street, 57 stands was owned by titular counselor Arseny Shabishev. This brick three-story house in the classical style had a high roof. The main facade facing Sadovaya Street was designed as a risalit, slightly protruding beyond the facade line. The risalit was crowned with a pediment featuring a semicircular (half-round) window. At the corner, the side facades joined, forming a narrow chamfered corner — a "three-axis" facade with the main entrance and staircase.

From the early 1880s until 1894, the building housed the tavern "Odessa," with its entrance right at the corner. The tavern belonged to merchant Kirzhakov. It included two kitchens on the first floor and 11 rooms on the second. On the side facing Voznesensky Prospect, the second floor contained Rosenberg's kitchen, while the third floor housed Gutman's kitchen. Additionally, rooms on the second and third floors were rented out. The first floor was almost entirely occupied by shops. Also, as of 1885, a small wooden house stood on the corner plot, known for hosting meetings of members of an underground circle led by typesetter Kolodnov. One participant of these meetings, Mikhail Stepanovich Alexandrov, later took the surname "Olminsky" and became known as a revolutionary, writer, and party figure.

In June 1900, the heirs of Colonel Arseny Shabishev offered the City Administration to buy the corner house at Sadovaya Street, 57. The offer was accepted, and on May 16, 1901, the house became city property. Meanwhile, the house at Sadovaya Street, 55 already belonged to the city. Early 20th-century Saint Petersburg was experiencing a construction boom, with urban development not only on newly annexed territories but also on long-settled lands. It was decided to build a house on the combined plots to accommodate several city institutions. The Imperial Saint Petersburg Society of Architects announced a competition for the building's design. The competition program and proposed projects were published in 1903 in the architectural magazine "Zodchiy."

The winning project was by architect Alexander Ivanovich Dmitriev, with second place going to Alexander Lvovich Lishnevsky's design. However, despite the competition results, construction was decided to proceed according to Lishnevsky's plan. Dmitriev's design proposed unacceptable building parameters for the organizers: the planned height exceeded the then Saint Petersburg norm of 11 sazhen (approx. 23.4 meters). Reducing the building height to comply with city laws would have altered proportions and reduced the building's volume. On May 31, 1904, the City Duma approved the project proposed by Alexander Lishnevsky.

Construction lasted three years and was completed in 1907. The building's appearance resembles European medieval town halls. The red roof hints at an unusual tile style for Petersburg. The clock on the tower only enhances the medieval European feel. Incidentally, the clocks have been restored in recent times but, for some reason, do not run. In the spring of that year, the newly built building was visited on a tour by members of the Saint Petersburg Society of Architects. A report on the event, along with photographs of the finished building and the building's working drawings, was specially published in the magazine "Zodchiy." In the autumn of the same year, during a competition organized by the Saint Petersburg Administration, architectural solutions of 30 recent capital new buildings were compared. After detailed study, five nominees were selected and specially noted: the mansions of Kshesinskaya, Ida Lidval, and Zarudnaya-Kavos, the Singer Company House, and the House of City Institutions.

After construction, the new building housed a number of organizations and institutions according to the project’s intended use. The first floor and basement were intended for rent to merchants and housed 22 shops. The second floor accommodated the administration, central branch, and storage of the Saint Petersburg City Pawnshop; facing Sadovaya Street were the Saint Petersburg Military Conscription Office (an institution where conscription was processed and officer records maintained). The third and fourth floors were allocated to the executive commissions of the City Administration (with windows facing Voznesensky Prospect): water supply, public education, charity, city supply, and hospital commission; the Saint Petersburg City Statistical Department of the Administration with archives and book storage; and the trade deputation. The fifth floor housed city public schools occupying 12 classes and a recreation hall (a women's four-class school and two two-class primary schools); the City Museum; and also the residence of the school superintendent. Additionally, some rooms on the second, third, and fourth floors were occupied by the city printing house serving the needs of the Saint Petersburg Administration (including some rooms in the courtyard building) and 6 of the 60 existing magistrate chambers in Saint Petersburg. The building also contained a tin workshop for making license plates and apartments for lower service staff and those responsible for building maintenance. Over time, the interiors changed owners and purposes multiple times, but the functional load remained roughly as intended by the project.

Contemporary architects highly praised Lishnevsky’s interior layout, which was reflected in a specially prepared publication in the professional journal "Zodchiy." In particular, the printing house arrangement was noted: the separate parts of the printing house were conveniently located, connected by an elevator, and arranged in the order of the work process: typesetting on the 4th floor, machinery on the 3rd, and binding on the 2nd.

Lishnevsky called his houses his children (he actually had six biological children). During the construction of the House of City Institutions, he frequently visited the site and supervised the work. It is said that the hot-tempered architect would kick bricks if he noticed careless masonry. He demanded the highest quality from the builders. The architect was proud of the unusual oval-shaped courtyard well in the house. Thanks to this, the offices became much brighter — institutions saved on electricity. Suddenly, a year and a half after construction was completed, the House of City Institutions developed cracks. A special commission was formed, and one inspector doubted the architect’s professionalism. It is highly likely that he was among those who feared devils on buildings and suspected Lishnevsky of a deal with the devil. The inspector declared that he wouldn’t even trust this architect to build a doghouse. Upon hearing this, the architect lost his temper. "It’s more likely to die than for this house to collapse!" Lishnevsky shouted, adding some strong words. The quarrel escalated into a fistfight. It suddenly became clear that the architect knew jiu-jitsu and French boxing techniques. The inspector and the architect were separated, but journalists published caricatures of Lishnevsky for a long time, depicting him in armor.

The commission carefully inspected the building and concluded that the house’s condition "does not give cause for concern regarding safety." The cracks were attributed to "uneven settling and the different times of construction of parts of the building with a complex plan." Lishnevsky’s reputation was restored.

On December 12, 1908, at the initiative of the Society of Architects and Artists, the "Regulation on the Museum" was adopted, according to which the Museum of Old Petersburg was established in the house of Pavel Yulyevich Syuzor at Kadetskaya Line, 21. Almost simultaneously, the Museum of the City Administration was created, located in the House of City Institutions. One of the main differences between the two collections was that the Museum of Old Petersburg was open to the public, while the Museum of the City Administration was not. However, in 1918, based on the collections of these and some other departmental museums, the City Museum was created.

After the October Revolution, the building’s functional load remained almost at the level intended by Lishnevsky’s project.

During the Soviet era, the former House of City Institutions housed at different times the 32nd Unified Labor School (Mayorov Prospect, 40), Store No. 3 of the 1st State Factory of Oilcloth and Granitol (3rd July Street, 55/57), Evening Shift School No. 105 of the October District of Leningrad (Mayorov Prospect, 40). For many years, it was home to the October District Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union and the Executive Committee of the District Council of People's Deputies.

In the mid-1990s, the building underwent several restorations. The quality of the work was considered decent, but they did not cover the entire monument and were rather fragmentary. By 2006, the building’s condition was assessed as emergency, prompting facade restoration with the recreation of lost elements based on historical materials in 2006–2007. A major restoration (essentially the first in the building’s history) began in June 2007. The customer was the Saint Petersburg State Institution "Directorate for Repair and Restoration Works on Historical and Cultural Monuments," which described the scope of work in the technical assignment as facade restoration with complete elimination of damage and restoration of several lost elements. The contractor was LLC "City Paints." The restoration process lasted no more than two years.

The clocks on the corner tower were restored, but many external elements and parts of the clock mechanism were irreversibly lost or significantly damaged, leading to the decision to dismantle the clock remains and restore them in stationary conditions. Several parts had to be recreated; in particular, the original, authorial appearance of the clock face and hands was not precisely known. Restorers had to consult archival documents, photographs, records, and study architectural analogues. For practical reasons, old clock mechanisms were replaced with modern electronics—more reliable due to satellite correction. The clock chimes every half hour. The regular chimes, including at night, caused some controversy among local residents with the district administration. Subsequently, the night chimes were canceled. Notably, the total number of strikes per day before the night chime cancellation reached 78.

 In 2009, three owl figures located on the facade gables were restored. The sculptures were recreated based on photographs, sculpted, formed, manufactured, and installed (along with architectural elements of thistles) by the architectural and artistic workshop PANTEON. The owls were restored by Pavel Ignatiev and Denis Prasolov.

Currently, the building houses various institutions and organizations. These include: the Department of Social Protection of the Population for the Admiralteysky District, the Federal Treasury Department for the Admiralteysky District, magistrate courts of the October judicial district of Petersburg, Interdistrict Inspectorate of the Federal Tax Service of Russia No. 4 for Saint Petersburg, Admiralteysky Department of Express Service of the Employment Center, and the State Administrative Technical Inspection. Also located here are the office of the district’s monthly free newspaper "Kolomna," with a circulation of 6,000 copies, and the Saint Petersburg regional branch of the Liberal Democratic Party of Russia (LDPR).

In April 2010, the State Multifunctional Center for the Provision of State Services opened in the building. The interiors were adapted to its needs: there is a cloakroom, waiting hall (with a playroom for children and an administrator’s desk), a reception hall equipped with 22 service windows for citizens served in general order, and service rooms.

The House of City Institutions is a five-story building with a basement and attics. The main building faces Sadovaya Street and Voznesensky Prospect. There are also courtyard buildings. Overall, the building has preserved its original appearance (the courtyard structures and buildings only partially) — partly thanks to restorations. The building had an elevator. The lobby decoration is especially notable.

The building’s facades are executed in the style of late eclecticism — historicism, representing clear retrospection, combining elements of Art Nouveau, Gothic (primarily its English direction, reminiscent of the Central Universal Department Store in Moscow, Russian pseudo-Gothic), German Renaissance, and motifs of medieval architecture. Nevertheless, despite numerous stylizations, the period when the house was built is clearly defined. The decor includes various elements: braids, figures of griffins, chimeras, owls (1.8 m tall), thistles (1 meter tall and wide), and spiders. The facade is accentuated by a rhythmic sequence of turrets, gables, bay windows, and Art Nouveau style windows.

The owls restored in 2009 are made of artificial stone and installed on the facade gables, one facing Sadovaya Street and two facing Voznesensky Prospect. The intentionally enlarged owl figures carry symbolic meaning and, despite the "mystery" of other decorative elements, are meant to symbolize wisdom and prudence. Pavel Petrovich Ignatiev, who participated in the restoration of the figures, commented on this concept:

Watching over everything happening below with huge, night-seeing eyes, it becomes an assistant to city authorities.

At the corner of the building stands a tall tower designed in the spirit of the Middle Ages. The house was intended for city institutions, so it was decided to decorate it with a reference, a hint to European town halls. The corner tower is faceted, with a complex silhouette, located at the intersection of city thoroughfares: Sadovaya Street and Voznesensky Prospect. Being visible from afar in the perspectives of these streets, it marks their junction, the crossroads. Previously, statues of "Freedom" and "Labor" were installed in the tower niches, and the facades were decorated with sculptural coats of arms of Saint Petersburg. Despite the picturesque facade decoration, the interior of the complex is functional and rational: the courtyard is oval-shaped, which positively affected the lighting of workplaces.

The corner tower is integrated into the architectural concept of the area, although it is designed to be perceived from a certain distance. Voznesensky Prospect begins at the spire of the main Admiralty, so the "Admiralty needle" is echoed by both the corner tower of the House of City Institutions and the spires and turrets of buildings at the intersections of Voznesensky Prospect with the Fontanka River and Izmailovsky Prospect with 7th Krasnoarmeyskaya Street. The tower of the House of City Institutions is visually linked to the large drum and elongated dome of the corner revenue house of the "Landlord" partnership, located somewhat away from the intersection of Sadovaya and Voznesensky (Izmailovsky Prospect, 16).

The "uniqueness" and distinctiveness of the facade decoration of the House of City Institutions relate it to other projects by Alexander Lishnevsky, such as the house at Five Corners (Zagorodny Prospect, 11; Rubinstein Street, 40), the Margolin revenue houses (Fontanka River Embankment, 131; Bolshaya Podyacheskaya Street, 36), or Lishnevsky’s own revenue houses (Chkalovsky Prospect, 31; Vsevolod Vishnevsky Street, 10; Plutalova Street, 2). Additionally, the House of City Institutions is not included in the overall decorative composition of the intersection, which is also characteristic of Lishnevsky’s style.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Дом_городских_учреждений

https://www.citywalls.ru/house1406.html