Mansion of K. K. Ekval

The two-story Ekval Mansion is an example of wooden "Northern Modernism," built in 1901 by architect Fyodor Lidval in collaboration with S. V. Belyaev. The owner of the house was the Swede Karl Ekval — owner of a cast iron foundry and mechanical plant, which was founded in 1893. The first work of architect Lidval, who later became a famous master, was distinguished by several details characteristic of the Art Nouveau style. The irregular shape of the house, its asymmetrical facades, and the free composition became characteristic features of rational modernism. This early twentieth-century building is notable at least because it is one of the few surviving examples of wooden architecture in the early modern style to this day.

The owner of the cast iron foundry and mechanical plant, Ekval, entrusted the construction of the mansion on the plant's territory to the then-unknown architect Lidval. Later, Lidval would become a world-famous master of modernism, and the industrialist's mansion would be considered his first realized project. In 1901, the construction was completed, and Ekval was presented with a two-story mansion adorned with wide windows, amazing ornamentation, and covered with flowing textured plaster. It is precisely in the decoration of the building's pediment that one can discern the motifs of the emerging style. Today, the mansion of the famous industrialist, which also serves as a monument to Lidval's early work, stands empty and does not welcome guests.

The wooden decoration of the wide windows is executed with a unified framing — carved friezes with wooden grooves and lines of applied patterns are complemented by a vegetal wooden ornament between them, which transitions into abstract forms. The grainy dark textured plaster is also characteristic of this style and, along with the rest of the decor, forms a noticeable part of the building's pediment decoration. The house also features a fireplace and a wooden staircase, which is in fairly good condition. Currently, the house, once built on the territory of an industrial enterprise, is surrounded by a concrete fence, abandoned, and unused. In summer, it is almost invisible, as it has long been surrounded by century-old trees.

Sources:

https://www.citywalls.ru/house6521.html

https://www.ptmap.ru/architect/2400