Dom Knigi

«Дом книги», Дом компании «Зингер», «Дом книги», House of Books

A six-story building, built in 1902-1904 on the project of Paul Suzor to be the Russian headquarters of Singer sewing machines American company. Art Nouveau is not typical of the Nevsky Prospect, however it blended well into the face of St. Petersburg. It is believed that the company wanted to build a multi-story building, like its skyscraper in New York City. However, the height regulations prohibit building structures up more than 23.5 m. The architect thus decided to build a graceful tower, crowned with a glass globe, which creates the illusion of elevation, while not overshadowing either the Kazan Cathedral or the Savior on Spilled Blood church. The sculptural decoration of the tower and the facade were created by Estonian sculptor Amandus Adamson, also worked on the design of the shop and school Eliseevsky Baron Stieglitz. Today it is the city's biggest and most important bookstore, a tourist attraction on its own right. A cafe operates on the second floor. It is recognized as an historical landmark, and has official status as an object of Russian cultural heritage. The building was designed by architect Pavel Suzor for the Russian branch of the Singer Sewing Machine Company. The Saint Petersburg building code did not allow structures taller than the Winter Palace, residence of the emperor. The architect found an elegant solution to the limit of 23.5 m: the six-story Art Nouveau building is crowned with a glass tower, which in turn is topped by a glass globe sculpture created by the Estonian artist Amandus Adamson. This tower creates the impression of a substantial elevation, but is subtle enough not to overshadow either the Kazan Cathedral or the Church of the Savior on Spilled Blood. In 1919, the building was given to the Petrograd State Publishing House. It became the city's largest book store, and was subsequently named "The House of Books" in 1938. The book store remained functioning during the Siege of Leningrad until November 1942. It reopened in 1948. T

• history
• coffee

Address

Nevsky Prospekt 48

Getting there

at corner with Griboedov Canal, Nevsky Prospekt (Невский проспект) 600 m S; opposite the Kazan Cathedral

Website

dk-spb.ru (opens in a new tab)