Nevsky Prospekt 

Number 1 Nevsky Prospekt:
As good a place as any to start! This is a commercial bank structure which was rebuilt in Art Nouveau style by the architectural bureau of Zeidler during 1910 & 1911 as the 'Private Commercial Bank'. Rebuilt because what can be seen today is built around a much older building dating from 1781.

(Photo taken mid afternoon 20 November 2008).

Number 3, There was indeed a bank, Berson & Co., in the building before the Soviet Putsch of 1917. This is not astonishing because by 1911 every building in this massive city block beginning with 1 Nevsky Prospekt, housed some sort of competing banking establishment. The structure itself dates from 1779. It was built by an unknown architect for Ivan Shpakovsky, state collegiate inspector. After 1825 the property was purchased by the Shishmarev family and in 1839 rebuilt by Alexander Brullov, the architect of the Guards Corps Building in the Palace Square. The present appearance of the building dates from the late 1830s. Again it changed owners in the 1880s (being sold to P. P. Lelianov and M. I. Prevot, the latter being the owner of the then famous Prevot cosmetics and perfume business. Throughout the 19th century the building contained numerous retail establishments: first a tavern and liquor store owned by the Weber family, then a perfume shop or perfumery, the Kurbatov brother's famous tobacco store, a pharmacy and even the Russian head office of mysterious American Photographic Society which most likely fled the premises after the 1917 putsch. A plaque on the front of this building commemorates that in this house on 13 April 1917 V. I. Lenin delivered a speech on the content and methods of agitation (propaganda) among soldiers.

Number 5, dates from 1777-1779. In the early 1800s, the liquor trading Weber family bought the building, leasing sections to a private banking establishment and a bookstore called Schmitzdorf’ s, which was also the appointed supplier of books to His Imperial Majesty's Court. Later in the century an expensive tea retailer, a luxurious flower shop of Hertzner & Co. and an English biscuit and confectionary establishment shared the same building. Georgi Bosse, a notable St. Petersburg architect, purchased the structure in the early 1850s and then remodelled it to his own taste. Some 30 years later, in 1883, his heirs sold the building to the St. Petersburg Fire Insurance Company. Alexander Geschwend, another fashionable architect, again rebuilt the structure for its new corporate owners. Dates of the latest reconstruction (1884 and 1885) are still visible on the mansard. The first floor currently hosts a branch of the Moscow based boutique chain TJ Collections, which main purpose is to attract the growing number of Russians who smell of money.

Numbers 7 & 9, this imposing Swedish-granite building has recently been home to Aeroflot & Baltic Airlines, the Central Air Services Agency and the St. Petersburg branch of the Federal Anti-Monopoly Service (FAS), but on 2nd February 2010 The St. Petersburg Times reported "The joint owners of Russia's largest pulp-and-paper company, Mikhail and Boris Zingarevich, intend to take part in the conversion of this building into a hotel". The application was under review at the time of the report, but because this six-storey building has 'protected status' as a historic monument it it not a done deal.
Originally this was the Wawelberg Commercial Bank. Built in 1912, the architect M. M. Peretyatkovich drew from a mixture of Italian Renaissance styles and incorporated two rows of arches replicated from the Palace of Doges in Venice. The upper storeys are said to have been inspired by the Pallazzo Medici in Florence.

Number 11, was originally built 1802/04 by architect L. N. Benoit but it had an extensive Neoclassicism face-lift between 1898 and 1900. The building has a plaque commemorating the outstanding ballerina Natalia Dudinskaya (1912-2003) and it is claimed that Hector Berlioz stayed in a 'guest house' here during his first visit to St Petersburg in 1847.

At the time of this photo there is the Kartago bistro on the ground floor and MIR Travel Company at 11/2.

Number 13, known as Chaplin's House and built at the beginning of the nineteenth century for the brothers Stephen and Gregory Chaplin by Vikenti Ivanovich Beretti. The Chaplins operated stores or retail shops on the first or ground floor of 13 Nevsky Prospekt. Those stores sold furniture and other soft items while the upper floors were rented out to wealthy tenants. In 1817 Alexander Griboedov, playwright and later diplomat, lived in this building, then known as Chaplin's House, where he got entangled in several noisy affairs which led to a few duels, one protagonist s death, his own injury (a pistol ball through the hand) and a inevitable police prosecution. Modest Mussorgsky, the genius classical composer, lived here from 1867 until summer of 1868. Irina Odoevtseva, nee Heinecke, a remarkable poet and writer, who was born in the Russian Baltic city of Riga in 1895, spent her youth in St. Petersburg. She fled this city in 1922, lived in France but never gave up her dream about home. She returned to St. Petersburg in 1987 and lived in this building, in an apartment facing Bolshaya Morskaya, until her death in 1990.

Number 15, was built as a palace for Nikolai Chicherin, the head of the St. Petersburg police (1768-71). In 1858 it was purchased by the wealthy Yeliseyev dynasty who made several alterations to the building's façade. This view is only of the right hand corner of the front façade. The building was home to the Barrikada cinema from 1923 until the beginning of the 21st century when also a Barrikada billiards club existed within these historic walls on the second floor.
The five star Taleon Imperial Hotel opened here in May 2003. Today the Taleon Club -Taleon Imperial Hotel unites three buildings: 15 Nevsky Prospect, 59 Moika river embankment (1794), and 14 Bolshaya Morskaya street (1814-1817).

Number 17, the Highly Developed Baroque period Stroganoff Palace built by Rastrelli in 1753 was home to the famous family until 1917. The palace now belongs to the Russian Museum, although most of the objects that once filled it are displayed in the Hermitage Museum. Inside the courtyard is the glass covered "Telephone-Café" where one can order Beef Stroganoff from where the poplar dish was first created. There is also a small chocolate museum in the ground floor passage. For most of living memory the building has been mainly green or blue, but since its renovation for the 300 year celebration it has been painted a kind of orangey pink and white which is more historically correct.

More about this palace on the Palaces page

Number 19, where the original house belonged to a man called Shestakov who was the Master Cook of the Imperial Household, but that building was destroyed by a major fire in 1751. This later building was commissioned by the Stroganovs and built in 1756 by architect P. S. Sadovinkov. In 1912 the roof of this building was the site for the first electric sign in the city. Here it is seen in 2006, shortly after the opening of St. Petersburg's first branch of Brocard, a German owned perfume and cosmetic chain, which has over 50 outlets in the Ukraine. . The building is a specimen of the 1830s European Neoclassicism and is in most respects unremarkable; it could have easily been built in Wiesbaden or Leipzig.

Number 21, the Fashion House is wedged between two buildings which look rather plain in comparison. It is one of the newest developments on Nevsky and was built 1910-12 by Marian. S. Lyalievich in the the art nouveau Neo-Renaissance style for Mertens Furriers. Its blue tinged windows accentuate the Neoclassical metallic framed arches between the slender stone pillars. Zara and Zara Home, one of the world's largest fashion houses now has an outlet at this address.

Number 23, This is an eighteenth century building with a beautiful neoclassical facade that was incredibly extended by adding three floors (actually two and a half) in the early 1900s. Amazingly the building did not sink into the ground. Before the Communist putsch this was the address of the life insurance arm of the Societe Generale in Northwestern Russia which occupied the upper floor along with the United Bank.  Where the 'Love Republic' shop now is on the ground floor, was House of Arthur, a prestigious retailer selling linen, men s underwear and lingerie. The House of Arthur was a purveyor of the said merchandise to the Imperial Court. To the right was the prestigious watch and clock shop of Pavel Bour. There is also a watch shop called Pavel Bour, albeit it has nothing to do with the old Pavel Bour and is yet another case of historic identity theft. As of time of writing, in 2006, there was a bar Fort Ross at the same address, the name was probably supposed to evoke Russian possessions in California, a small hotel called Fortuna above the retail establishments and the Avalon restaurant.

Number 25, is The Atrium premier office complex with Bar/Cafe and also the Finnish Stockmann Department Store which has 1500 sq. meters of retail space

Built in 1817 by Vasily Staslov for the clergy of Kazan Cathedral, this building was reopened after major restoration in 1997 to the highest technical specifications of any office building in Russia.
The Commercial department of the USA General Consulate is now based here, as well as the Consulate of Norway.

Kazan Cathedral, built between 1801-11, having 96 Corinthian columns arranged in four rows that form an extended arc facing Nevsky Prospekt. Andrei Voronikhin's design was inspired by Bernini's colonnade for St. Peter's in Rome. From 1811-1858, the Kazan Cathedral was the main cathedral of the city. After 1932, when the cathedral was closed, the building housed the Museum of the History of Religion and Atheism. In 1991 services were resumed and it is again fully functional as an Orthodox church.

Number 27, Lesnikovs’ House (Glazunovs’ House and/or Miliutins’ House). Like numerous other Nevsky buildings this one has several names, all originating from the surnames of its previous owners.

Adjacent to Kazan Cathedral and the Canal Griboedova, the Balkany Cafe seen here sells pastries & souvenirs, photographed in early 2000.

Number 27 also. This is probably the longest building on the Nevsky Avenue. Construction of this unique commorancy commenced in 1737 when A. Miliutin , an ennobled merchant and textile entrepreneur built a two story shopping arcade that resembled today’s Gostinny Dvor. The complex was long known as Miliutinskie Riady or Miliutin’s Rows and the far end began at the side of the Canal Griboedova which was then called Catherine's Canal. This first part of the building (shown as the brownie pink structure above), was rebuilt as a separate neoclassical structure in the 1770s. In the 1790s, Sila Glazunov, a merchant and the alderman of the nearby church of Our Lady’s Birth bought the building, so it is also known as Glazunovs’ house. Architect Andrei Voronikhin, the creator of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan lived in this building from 1806 until 1814. The building changed several owners and housed numerous establishments in the 19th century, including an autonomous power plant which was used to power street illumination. This in turn was converted into a cinema called Uranus in 1913. Badly damaged by the Nazi Siege, the building was one of the first to be restored in 1944.

Number 29, is a narrow, graceful structure. Its scale is subtle and so is unusual for St. Petersburg as if it were a building from a city of a different size. The building is so merged into surroundings that most locals never notice it. With just four windows across, this is the narrowest Nevsky Prospekt building. It is also one of narrowest buildings in the entire city. The structure’s eclectic façade combining different architectural styles dates from the year 1886. In that year the Paramanov merchant family commissioned engineer Ivan Jors to redesign the older 18th century structure which the Paramonovs had recently bought. The project was completed one year later in 1887. Although the upper floor of 29 Nevsky housed a photographic atelier at one time, until the Bolshevist putsch the building served more or less as a rare city mansion, a proper townhouse, one of a very few residential houses along Nevsky Prospekt. Its pre-Paramonov history is little known, except that underneath its skin is actually a structure dating from the year 1766.

Number 31, Silver Rows (Serebriannye Riady). This graceful neoclassical shopping arcade was designed by Giaccomo Quarenghi for St. Petersburg silversmiths and jewelers. The design of this structure was a two level arcade. The first/ground floor consisted of a straight through unobstructed space, with an enfilade of arches, while the second floor consisted of separated galleries. History of silver trade on this spot (hence its name of Silver Rows), is older than the present building. In the 1730s a pavilion enclosing several retail and wholesale shops for trade in silver, silverware, jewelry and gems was built on the location. That structure survived for half a century until being consumed by fire in 1783. The building you see today is the replacement constructed in 1784. Almost one hundred years later, in 1878 the lower arcade was closed up, separated into different stores and the street facing arches of the arcade were turned into shop fronts, with doors and shop-windows. Until 1917 several jewelers, silver and goldsmiths, bureau de change, bank agents, operated in the building.

Number 33, The City Duma building was the center of local government 1786-1918.

The Duma Tower seen on the left, was built 1799-1804 as a watchtower for fires. Ironically the tower was severely damaged by fire itself in 1998, but has since been restored.
The adjacent building on the left of the tower is the Municipal Assembly or Duma itself with its numerous offices and the Grand Assembly Hall. The original 18th century building was redesigned in the neo Renaissance style by Nikolai Efimov and rebuilt between 1847 and 1852. Some additional reconstruction work was also done in 1913. Low fourth floor level was added in 1914.

Number 33, the City Duma building - ( the City Hall) - (Hotel de Ville). The predecessor of the building with the tower was the St. Petersburg Common Guild House, built by the city merchants in the 1750s. It was in that building that the first sessions of the Municipal Duma were held in the late 1780s. In 1799 architect Domenico Ferrari (Dominique Ferrari) built the present day Duma structure with a five level neoclassical tower at the corner of Nevsky. The tower has an usual granite staircase, both subtle and beautiful, although few people notice it. In the 1835 another architect with Italian name, Beretti, built a metal structure on top of the tower for launching air balloons. This thing did not survive for long and in 1840s was replaced with the metal contraption you see today, although this is not the real thing but a later replica. In the 1840s the steel structure atop of the tower was used as an optical telegraph transmission and reception tower to send and receive messages between similar towers built between St. Petersburg and Tsarskoe Selo and then onwards to other important Russian Empire cities such as Warsaw. A curious technical landmark of a fast but expensive communication method which was made obsolete by the invention of electric telegraph.

Number 33a, the classical Portico designed by Luigi Rusca (c1799) for the Perinnaya Liniya (Feather Bed Line), which was an exchange for precious metals built at right angles to the Prospekt. Sadly the portico is all that remains of the Exchange, as the long row of trading stalls was demolished in the mid 1960's to facilitate the building of the Gostinny Dvor Metro. Workers on the Metro project discovered gold bullion weighing over 120 kg in the basement of what was the Morozov goldsmiths. Reproduced in 1972, the portico has since been used as a theater booking office and as an art gallery.

Number 35, is Gostinny Dvor basking in bright sunlight (with an abundance of overhead power cables removed).

Since its conversion from coaching inns in the early 18th century, this row of trading stalls have always been at the heart of St. Petersburg's commerce. Rastrelli designed this building which was completed in 1785. Now laid out like a department store inside, on two levels.

Number 37, one corner of the original Russian National Library building, built between 1795-1801.
Architects: E. T. Sokolov & K. Rossi
Its book collection numbers over 30 million items, and since 1811 has received one copy of each book published in Russia. Also many old manuscripts are housed here, including the Ostromirovo Bible which dates back to the 11th century. The RNL has at least three other buildings in the city in use to house their prolific collections.

Alexandrinsky Theater, designed by Carlo Rossi and built between 1828 & 1832. This elegant Neo-Classical building faces onto Alexandrian or Ostrovsky Square (between the Russian Library buildings and the Anichkov Palace). Known as the Pushkin Drama Theater in Soviet times, the portico of the main facade has six Corinthian columns, topped by a sculptural group by Stepan Pimenov, of Apollo, patron of the arts, driving a chariot harnessed to four horses. In the garden in front of the building is the city's only statue of Catherine the Great.

Architect Rossi’s Street (its Soviet name is Ulitsa Zodchego Rossi) or Theater Street (Theatralnaia Ulitsa), is a part of the giant architectural ensemble off Nevsky that consists of two squares - Alexandrian Square and Chernyshev Square (now Lomonosov Square) with the Alexandrian theater in the middle of the first square, which itself is flanked by buildings of the Public Library (the National Library of Russia), the masonry fence and the pavilions of the Anichkov Palace and Nevsky Prospekt. It is a grandiose ensemble, which grandeur and architectural audacity is difficult to comprehend unless you are looking at it from above. As of its true meaning, it’s of course unknown. This street is precisely 220 meters long and consists of two identical symmetrically positioned perfectly proportionate neoclassical buildings, each 220 meters long and 22 meter high. The street itself is 22 meter wide. Two buildings mirror each other like surreally perfect twins, every architectural detail and every window has a counterpart on the other side. When you start paying attention to details you’ll suddenly realize that this thing is bizarre and astoundingly beautiful. What adds to the surreal feeling is that the street is almost always empty.

Number 39. One of two Anichkov Palace pavilions marking the SE edge of Alexandrian Square. Built in 1817/18 by Carlo Rossi, they are Nevsky's smallest buildings. Externally they are embellished with Corinthian columns which are inter spaced with attractive statues which were created by the sculptor Stepan Pimenov. These are figures of medieval Russian knights and martial bas-relief's which are monuments to the victories over Napoleon and other State enemies. Internally these pavilions are basically formal halls, lined with Ionic columns of unconventional semi-elliptical form. In Imperial times they were used for receptions, parties and public art exhibitions. Currently the one shown in this view is a Versace Fashion House and whilst far removed from its original purpose, Vas ace make a far suitable tenant than would a tacky fast food outlet selling burgers.

Number 39: the northern wing of the Anichkov Palace c1750.

(More info on the Palaces page)

Number 39, Anichkov Palace, the Imperial Cabinet building: photographed from across the Fontanka river and looking towards the Anichkov Bridge on the right. Originally  known as Quarenghi's Stalls because they were built as trading rows, this addition to the palace was made during the reign of Alexander I between 1803-06. This structure was conceived in a rigorous Neo-classical style and many people feel that it doesn't complement Rastrelli's original work on the main building of the palace. However that is a purist's opinion which detracts from the general ambience of the street. The ground floor has subsequently been partially occupied by shops.

Number 41, the Belosselsky-Belozersky Palace from the 'Late Classicism period', as seen from the north-east corner on Anichkov Bridge.

(More info on the Palaces page)

Number 43, This eclectic art nouveau building was constructed in the year 1900 by the architectural firm of Alexander Kaschenko as investment property for the family of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. Since the completion of its construction the first floor of the building was occupied by a seafood shop, this establishment survived throughout the Soviet times, and is still a Soviet-style food shop as of January, 2003. Remains of its original pre-1917 decor, such as marble counters and lighting fixtures can still be seen in the public retail area.

Number 45, originally starting life as a three story mansion owned by the merchant Nikolai Paskov-Sharapov at the beginning of the eighteenth century, this solid building now pulls in revenue from its many executive apartments on the upper floors. For several years in the 1990's the first floor housed a Carroll's fast food outlet, but this has been a less than salubrious 'McDonalds' since 2000. A Colonel Rostovtsev bought the building in the 1810s. In 1858 the building was rented out to St. Mary’s Female School for Coming Maidens, which in 1862 was transformed into the city’s first gymnasium and a first class day high school for girls. In 1875 architect Alexander Gun reconstructed the property. It was enlarged with two additional floors being built atop the old three story structure, and the old classical façade took on eclectic French renaissance appearance, marked by light sculptural accents and small elegant balconies. In the late 1890s it was purchased by the Philippovs, owners of an extensive chain of St. Petersburg and Moscow bakeries and pastry shops. In Soviet times it was known as the Café Automat building.

Number 47, Palkina Dom and the former Titan cinema building was originally built in 1874 by architect A. K. Kreiser.
On September 8, 1874, the famous restaurant "Palkin" had its grand opening here, having transferred from another address. A little later, in 1904, the famous architect A. S. Khrenov worked on an extension to the restaurant and in 1907 began the reconstruction of the building's concert hall, later to be called the New Concert Hall. In 1925, the building accommodated "Titan" movie theatre. By 1995 it was the turn of the new casino club Premier to open its doors at the Nevsky 47 address. After a long break, restaurant "Palkin" once more welcomed visitors at its original location starting from 2002. The New Concert Hall opened by the end of 2003.

Number 49, Dating from 1765 this is now upper Nevsky's newest 5 star hotel, the 166 room Radisson SAS Royal. Which opened in 2002. The complex has 5 conference rooms, 17 luxury suites, the Barbazan Restaurant, the Cannelle Café, 2 private dining rooms, sauna and a health club. The building first became a hotel in 1879, and during the late Soviet period, Café Saigon was situated here. The café was a meeting place for dissidents, those not wishing to conform, and rock musicians.
Original architect: P. Y. Suzor

Number 51, This utilitarian-looking, classically-proportioned but devoid of embellishment building, was designed in 1834 by Pavel Votsky, for the Guards subaltern Kozhevnikov. The structure was completed in early 1835 and has not been altered since. The traveler and writer Ivan Goncharov lived from 1855 to 1856 in an inner courtyard facing apartment where he wrote both Frigate Pallada (Pallas) and his immortal novel Oblomov (Oblomoff).

At the turn of the century the building housed the Moulin Rouge cinema, Peter Efimov's bank, and a large footwear store owned by the Skorohod Company.

Number 53, Initially a three story building, this was house was constructed in the late 1790s. By the 1880s the building became the property of A. Tchadaev, a merchant and alderman of the Kazansky Cathedral. He commissioned Michael Andreev to reconstruct the building with most of the work completed by late 1882. The semi-basement floor of Nevsky façade was rebuilt as a meat and cheese store known not just for its cheeses but for Art Nouveau decorations and stained glass windows. The upper floors had a bookstore, A. O. Drankov’s photography salon, comic theatre “Pathé” and Maiak (the Beacon) cinema that was reconstructed in 1913 by architect A. Romasyko also in the Art Nouveau style. Presently the space where the pre-Soviet meat and cheese emporium used to be located is now occupied by Las Torres Spanish restaurant and a slot machine parlor. To the left of the first floor is the Fashion House ElenaTsvetkova, which caters for high-flying business women.

In the past 100 yrs only two pre-Soviet buildings (no's 14 & 68) had disappeared completely off Nevsky’s face prior to this photo. Number 55 was not blown to smithereens by Nazi bombs or razed by rampaging Bolsheviks, instead this building fell victim to post-Soviet corruption and avarice. 55 Nevsky (Tianichev’s Building or House), also known as the St. Petersburg Chess Assembly building was destroyed in 2005 to give way for a hotel extension and/or an expensive apartment block. Considering that central St. Petersburg including Nevsky is a UNESCO protected landmark, and the whole avenue is a perfectly preserved pre-WW1 monument, and that no building was lost irrecoverably even during the Nazi siege, the enormity of this crime becomes apparent to anyone who values architectural and historic heritage.

Number 55 reincarnated!
Allegedly the new sterile facade is an "exact replica of the original neoclassical structure" according to Corinthia Hotels. However the original facade only had three floors.
Seen here in early 2010, shortly after unveiling there are few signs of commercialisation except for a Nevskij Plaza sign over the central doorway. This 'new' building is part of a 100 million Euro project which has finally brought the Nevskij Palace Hotel up to a Five Star rating which compares favorably with hotels in Wester Europe. Number 55 is envisaged to be an elite commercial centre with two floors of upmarket retail outlets and five floors of premium office space for rent.

Number 57, was built in 1861 and belonged to the Industrial School of the Tsarevich. It was then reconstructed in 1892 & again in 1949. Previously the Hermes and then Bialys, before opening 278 rooms as the Nevskij Palace Hotel in 1993 after another 4 years of rebuilding. (The adjoining building have been empty and covered by giant hoardings for most of the time since because they suffered major structural damage during that project). Sheraton managed this hotel until recently but political reasons caused a change of ownership and it is now managed by the Corinthia Group. The characterless NPH is claimed to be 5 Star but in the opinion of many it does not compare well with good Western European 4 Star hotels, however it is adequate for businessmen and has four good restaurants and a 24 hr ATM.

Number 59, with an almost lifelike facade. Along with number 55, this building has had its frontage covered with huge hoardings such as the one photographed here for more than 15 years: During the re-construction of Nevskij Palace 1989 - 93, the two neighboring buildings were damaged by the weight of the hotel. Their foundations and walls cracked and they've been deserted since that time. Allegedly the problem stems from the fact that developers were not permitted to do an extensive investigation of the area below the hotel site before construction because of security concerns due to KGB communications lines buried there. The seven floors of the hotel and two levels of underground parking are too heavy for the site and the Nevskij Palace has sunk 20 to 30 centimeters since its re-construction.

A replica of Number 61, seen at the beginning of March 2010.
This 'new' building allegedly resembles the original but it is unlikely to be as the one Pavel Schroeter designed as a four story classical building in 1822 and it is more likely to follow the designs of architect Karl Reimers, who updated the facade in 1873. In the early 1900s this location was the address of the Central Bank of the Mutual Credit Society.
Now this address has been integrated as an extension of the Nevskij Palace Hotel next door at number 57. It has added another 105 executive guest-rooms to the hotel, plus a 250 sq-metre Presidential Suite, a conference centre with 14 meeting rooms and a Grand Ballroom. As with the new building at number 55, this also has a Nevskij Plaza sign over the central doorway.

Number 61, The appearance of this Early Eclecticism structure is virtually as was during the building date of 1849, when Alexander Poehl reconstructed an earlier structure for merchant I. Loginov. The building changed two more owners after 1899 and probably now should legally belong to descendants of the Soloviev (Solovieff) family who also owned the adjacent (number 59) building. In 1910 both buildings were connected by a walk-through corridor on the third floor level.

Number 63, Originally a two level baroque mansion, and part of a larger estate this property was bought by the widow of State Councilor Baronet Willie, who is better remembered as the founder of St. Michael’s Clinical Hospital, part of the War Medicine Academy. (in 19th century the Academy of Military Surgery) located on the Vyborg side of St. Petersburg. 1872 Willies sold the property to Alexandrovsky who then hired Pavel Suzor, who was already very active in this part of the city construction, to rebuild the structure in eclectic style which some say is reminiscent of 17 century Parisian architecture. Writer Nikolai Leskov lived here in a rented apartment from 1877 to 1879. From 1882 until the Bolshevist coup d’etat this was also the address of Tula Mortgage-Loan Bank. From 1911 to 1912 the Herald of Aeronautics (or Aeronautical Herald, Vestnik Vozduhoplaniya), one of Russia’s first aviation and space exploration magazines had its offices at 63 Nevsky. To the right of the first floor is 'Titanic' which is one of the main outlets for cheap CD's and DVD's.

Number 65, is an oddball as far as its design goes. It looks as if it was built around 1880, yet it was remodeled in it's present late eclecticism form between 1902 and 1904. It essentially a shell built over the floors and foundations of the previous 1834 building by L. L. Fufaevsky for the then owner Georgi G. Blok, who was a self made banker of Turkish descent. Blok who had settled in the city in 1884 went bankrupt in 1906. He resolved his financial problems the easy way by hanging himself in his office which was in this building.

Number 67: This building has existed in it's late Art Nouveau style since 1915-1916 when it was redesigned by a trio of architects, V. I. Chenet, I. N. Volodikhin, and A. A. Maximov for the new owner, a Captain Tchaikovsky (not believed to have been related to the composer, but who knows!). The main attraction at number 67 is the Khudozhestvenny cinema. Tchaikovsky commissioned the commercial movie-house and called it the Saturn Cinema and the name lasted for quite a few years until the Soviets gave it its present name which means 'artistic'.

Number 69, This is one of a very few plots on Nevsky Prospekt which did not change its ownership during the course of the 19th century. From the 18th century until the Bolshevik coup of 1917 the Yakovlev family remained the owner of the lot, and their members or descendants must have the right to claim it (since the Bolshevik revolution was illegal). In 1822 Egor Sokolov built a three story structure in the interior of the lot, and in 1851 V. V. Strom designed the Nevsky-facing building. Among its tenants worth mentioning were the editorial offices of Denj (Den’, Day), the Menshevik newspaper that remained here until its forceful closure in 1918. The Mensheviks were a left splinter group, which although sharing the same social-democratic roots with Bolsheviks, in the end came to oppose the Communists. The building is a beautiful example of late 1840s-1850s classicism erected at the time when the architecture was approaching the eclectic age.

Number 71: At the time of this photograph in July 2006, the building known as Dom Zaytsev, the structure housing the entrance to the deeply sited Mayakovskaya Metro station, was hidden underneath a giant painted awning. The hidden classical building erected by architect P. A. Chepyzhnikov in 1848 was undergoing a major reconstruction and renovation. From c1800 the Zaytsev family owned the lot until selling it to a V. A. Lapshin in the second half of the century. Lapshin sold it to an Irina Dobrynina around the turn of the century and she was the legal owner at the time of the Soviet putsch. In the old times, before World War I and the Revolution, the building had several restaurants and beer pubs on the ground and first (second) floors. There was also a lucrative furnished room business.

Number 71 again: The building was revamped in 1967 and the right third of its ground floor (the one away from the street corner) was converted to accommodate the entrance to the metro station. This photo was taken on a murky November afternoon in 2008 after the building had been renovated during the previous year.

Original architect: P. A. Chepyzhnikov 1848

Number 73, Style - classicism (with a few eclectic elements such as gables over Nevsky façade). On the corner of Nevsky and Marata Street. Actually this is Gryaznaya or Dirty Street, which under the Bolsheviks became Marata Ulitsa, named so in the honour of Jean Paul Marat, a notorious Jacobin and criminal of the French Revolution fame. Originally, in the 18 century, these two lots (73 & 75) were occupied by two two-storey baroque buildings. Christian Tipner, a pharmacist, acquired the lot in early 1800s and his family held it until second half of the 19 century. In 1834 architect Schaufelberg erected new structure at the corner. The appearance of Schaufelberg's original structure survives in the present buildings despite several reconstructions. Modest Musorgsky was a frequent visitor to this corner building from 1879 through the 1880s.

Number 75, Both lots (73 and 75) became the property of the Wolfson family in the second half of 19th century. At the turn of the century they sold the buildings to the merchant D. V. Bychovskiï. Before WWI the ground floor and the basements of the corner building were used as a wine bar and wine cellars. In one of the court yard buildings was the Luna (Moon) cinema, which was yet another of Nevsky's countless movie theatres. In the late 1960s the underground construction work at the Mayakovskaya metro station deep below, structurally damaged the building. It was promptly restored in the early 1970s. The building has uniformly clean classicist lines. There are several shops in the building and the large ground floor shop windows were "cut" in 1903.

Number 77, this eclectic 1870s building is the twin of 79 Nevsky. It looks the same and was built in the same year by the same architect for the same company, Maltsiev & Co., with the difference being that the lot underneath 79 Nevsky was owned by Mr. Maltsiev while this one, 77 Nevsky, was the property of his wife. The structure was designed and built by architect Pavel Susor. The architect incorporated several older buildings from the late 18th century and early 1800s, which stood here until 1874. The building once inside number 77's facing structure was originally owned by merchant Lopatin. Editorial offices of Graždanin (Citizen) magazine were located here until 1874. Its publisher was Duke V. M. Mesersky. Its editor was one Fyodor Dostoyevsky. He daily walked to this address from his apartment on the next street.
Now on the first floor and for many years, has been the popular German owned Salamander shoe shop.

Number 79, is an eclectic building of 1874 at the corner of Nevsky and Pushkin Street (Puškinskaya), is one of several structures designed by Paul (Pavel)Susor in the area. To a great extent the Pushkin Street itself is Susor's creation because his eclectic buildings are dominant in the street's and neighborhood's appearance. Peter Tchaikovsky lived in this building. He moved to an apartment on the same staircase as the apartment of his brother. In the 1990s the Nevsky facing side of the building had a Baskin Robbins ice cream shop on the first floor, but luckily that has gone and there is a normal restaurant in its place. The Pushkin Street side of the building has Techneskaya Kniga (or Technical Book or Technology Book), a bookstore that specializes in engineering, aerospace, shipbuilding, computers and other technical subjects.

Number 81, a utilitarian looking post-classicist structure from 1851. Its author is architect Hemilian whose input is also visible in the building to the left (83 Nevsky or corner of Nevsky and Ligovsky). Owner of the building and the lot were: an A. Timofeev in the1840s and 1850s and it was he who hired Hemilian to build it; his descendants until late 1890s, Karl Karlovic Kochendorfer, a civil engineer, and then the Ugriumov family. During their ownership (they are probably still the legal owners) the building was expanded from the courtyard side in 1910 (these annexes are not visible from Nevsky), and a cinema named “Aquarium” opened in 1913 until 1918. Less than a year after Bolshevist putsch, in 1918, journalism classes were held here. Alexander Blok and Alexander Kuprin read lectures here.
Now besides many retail businesses and offices, the 81 Nevsky House is the home of the editorial bureau of Chas Pik (Rush Hour), a popular weekly.

Number 83, on the corner of Ligovsky Prospekt viewed from the middle of Ploshchad Vosstaniya. Years of construction/Built by - architect or architects: 1834 - A. S. Andriev, 1836 - A. P. Hemilian, 1881/83 - A. V. Ivanov, 1904 - G. S. Gavrilov. Mr Andriev built a long classical house on this corner (which then had a stagnant canal in the middle of Ligovsky), for a Madame Markevich, wife of a Guards Colonel. Just two years later, in 1836, A. P. Hemilian enlarged the Ligovsky Prospect section. That section was again rebuilt by architect G. S. Gavrilov in 1904. In 1881 the rest of the building was reconstructed by architect A. V. Ivanov, who also added two more floors and the line of Ivanov’s two story edition is clearly visible. From then on, the building’s owners were the Korovin family until the Bolshevik putsch. The leader of that putsch, Soviet dictator Vladimir Lenin, lived in one of this building’s furnished rooms in May, 1891 and again in January, 1894. Much of this building is now owned by the Hotel Oktyabrskaya which is on another side of Pl. Vosstaniya.

Number 85 Nevsky Prospekt is the Moscow Railway station and it fills one side of Ploshchad Vosstaniya (Uprising Square). Photographed in 2002 during restoration and seen here with one half in a cream color and the other in the old green color.