Today the Brusnitsyn mansion needs a serious restoration. This is an architectural monument of federal significance, which is being destroyed due to neglect of the authorities. Around are the buildings of the factories, between which the facade fades.
Characteristic
The mansion of the Brusnitsyn merchants is a place about which legends border on mysticism roam. The interiors here are striking in their beauty. However, the building is on the verge of destruction due to abandonment. They can’t find any money for restoration work, tenants often take turns.
Here, photo shoots are held for advertisements, shooting films and videos, which also does not affect the situation in the most favorable way. You can come here as part of an excursion group. It is forbidden to touch the interior elements due to their fragility. Fortunately, the rich decoration to a greater extent remained intact. In some places there is heating and electricity.
An excursion to the Brusnitsyn mansion is a great way to look at the artistic decor of the local premises. If the building is so beautiful now, it’s hard to imagine what it was like in its heyday. It is as if you are moving into the past to become its immediate part, you are in that era. Due to the dilapidation of the house, you need to seize the opportunity to look at this magnificence, because who knows how much more everything will remain in the same condition.
Historical data
The Brusnitsyn mansion was built in 1770 at the junction of the Kozhevennaya and Kosaya lines. It was a stone building, the facade of which looked at the coast. In 1780, Catherine II issued a decree according to which factories were built here for processing leather. In 1787, the structure changed significantly due to the fact that the factory office was placed here. There were also residential rooms.
In 1844, N.M. bought this building. Brusnitsyn. Three years later, the plant began to work. In 1857, the old house was supplemented by an extension on the west side. In the 1860s, the openings of the windows on the ground floor were expanded. Finished facades on the front. In 1864, new elements of architectural composition were built in the west.
In 1868, both spouses had title to the Brusnitsyn mansion. In 1882, he passed on to their heirs. Three brothers started restructuring the facility two years later. A.I. Kovsharov embodied his architectural ideas. The second floor was enlarged, an extension was built, where they placed a staircase for the main entrance. A beautiful greenhouse also appeared. The interior of the house has changed radically, but this made it only better.
Location
The Brusnitsyn mansion, whose address is Kozhevennaya Line, house 27, is similar to the letter "Sh", if you look at the plan. This form is due to the presence of its own wing in each of the brothers.
Architects characterize the style of this house as eclecticism. Kovsharov worked here from 1884 to 1886. The fact that this chic building is located in an area where basically all processes are aimed at the development of industry seems strange to many. There was an unpleasant smell and even toxic fumes, which for some reason did not bother the merchants. Or control of the plant seemed to them more important.
Street view
The Brusnitsyn's mansion (St. Petersburg) is externally decorated with a frieze, on which there are picturesque garlands. If you look above, you can see how strongly the cornice protrudes, on which the denticles are placed. There is a pediment above the stairs.
The facade on the right is decorated with semi-circle bay windows. Going into the courtyard, you will see the place where a gorgeous garden used to grow, now there are still trees, sheds and outbuildings from it. Once the whole complex was a wonderful estate, where there was a mansion and vegetable gardens, buildings for industrial and warehouse purposes.
Truly an impressive sight was the Brusnitsyn mansion. Photos with his past look are still preserved, so there’s still a small chance to see this for yourself.
The influence of Soviet power
The main entrance was boarded up after the 1917 revolution. They removed the monograms on which there was a family sign of the former owners. In the vacant place, they placed a hammer and a sickle - the symbolism of the Communists. In addition to the facade, this symbol can also be seen on the chandelier in the dance hall.
The ownership of the Brusnitsyn mansion passed to A. Radishchev, the owner of another leather processing factory. The management and laboratory workers sat here. Most recently, tables were removed on which skin tests were performed using special instruments.
In the 1920s, they moved the local greenhouse to the building of the Botanical Garden. In the period from 1925 to 1930, a passage with a lobby was located where it was previously accessible. In the room of the main staircase there were overlappings of wood, some of the doors were laid. In 1993, a metal cover was arranged over the greenhouse. Also, repairs were made in the White Hall and the dining room.
Recently there was an idea, in accordance with it the building of the plant, with which the Brusnitsyn mansion (St. Petersburg) adjoins, was planned to be reconstructed so that a hotel could be accommodated on this territory. It will open a view of the sea coast. However, the money needed to carry out this operation is too much, and very few investors will agree to build something in an industrial remote area.
Losses
In the center of the building there were ceremonial rooms, in the remaining parts there were living rooms of the owners and their relatives. The main entrance is in the east. Coming here, you can get acquainted with the enfilade layout. Many interesting and impressive details have survived here.
During the Soviet era, workshops were organized in the rooms, so some elements of luxury still disappeared. The paint is cracked, the stucco is torn off in some places, and the walls are ragged. Of course, it’s sad to see that the mansion of the Brusnitsyn brothers is living out its days. Lost a large number of sculptures and dressers, carpets, crystal glassware and other luxury items. However, chandeliers and fireplaces can still be seen.
Grace and sophistication
Having passed into the passerby, you can get into the premises of the second floor, one of which is the merchant ceremonial dining room, whose style of decoration is most similar to the late Renaissance.
The value of the estate’s chambers is that there is genuine decoration here, for example, a ceiling decorated with stucco molding. It was painted under a tree to better harmonize with the panels on the walls and the door. You can see a beautiful huge bronze chandelier and wall sconces. They were established by the founders, using subsequently candles. Special attention deserves a buffet made of carved wood. Each panel on the walls was handmade. A secret door was created behind one of them, through which one could get into the billiard room.
On the door is the ram’s head and an elegant ornament. This animal is not accidental, because it personified the deity of commerce. Wallpaper and flooring are the fruits of our time. Previously, the walls were covered with leather of low density. It’s certainly immediately clear which plant is next door. Door and window openings are finished in dark wood. You cannot look outside from the dining room, since the engraved glass faces the greenhouse.
Chic decor
In this room, as in others, the furniture that was originally here was not preserved. Once there was an oak table and 60 chairs upholstered in leather. A family of merchants, their work colleagues and friends had a meal here.
You can then proceed to the dance hall, whose walls are painted white. Lighting works here, thanks to which it is better to see a beautiful molding with gold elements. This room was designed according to the samples of the buildings in which Louis XV lived. You can see a large number of bizarre patterns. There are ornaments depicting vegetation, musical instruments, wreaths, panels in the form of flowers, fairy-tale characters. The composition is harmonious and looks sophisticated.
Pilasters and chapels with lyres complement it. The window frames remained solid. Their glasses are dense. Window sills are made of marble. Crystal pendants hang on the chandelier. It itself is made of bronze, it was redone during the reign of Soviet power. A hammer with a sickle also appears here.
The marble fireplace, one of the best in St. Petersburg, remained intact. It is decorated with picturesque sculptures of cupids. In the last century, the use of the White Hall was similar to ordinary assembly halls. Meetings and holidays were held here. There are beautiful cabinets by the fireplace, which have turned from flower vases into illuminating stands under the statues of Stalin and Lenin.
Mysticism in the walls of the estate
This place is valuable in that you seem to move back into the past, getting into the Brusnitsyn mansion. The mirror here has been preserved since the time of the founders. Approaching it, you will see a ceiling and a chic chandelier.
There is a special legend about a more ancient object that hung on this place, which says that it brought misfortunes to the owners. It was ordered in Italy when the mansion was just under construction. According to history, the thing hung from Count Dracula in the tomb that was in Venice. It was believed that a person experiences unusual feelings, looking into the mirror surface.
When unexplained troubles began to occur, this exhibit was deposited in the pantry. After the revolution, he disappeared. Although there are versions according to which this legend is simply fiction, attracting increased attention of tourists here. Such details constantly attract new visitors to the Brusnitsyn's mansion. How to get yourself into this mysterious world of the past? They say that it is extremely difficult and it is much easier to hire a guide or come here to shoot a photo shoot.
Hookah
Near the White Hall there is a smoking room, where the decor is well preserved. This room is considered one of the most valuable. This hookah decorated with an eye on the Moorish oriental style. You seem to fall into the tale of Scheherazade. Here is a beautiful dome, which is decorated with a gilded stucco molding made of bright colors.
There is a beautifully painted chandelier. Due to the fact that the subject of lighting is reflected in a mirror, which has already lost its integrity and is divided into separate fragments, the room seems larger than it actually is. On the walls is written "Glory to Allah" in exquisite script. In addition to the hookah, there were sofas, pillows and carpets. Flooring was done in our days.
