House with Fountains

The entrance to this building, located at Rymars’ka Street, 6 is quite unusual.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

There are four fountains there, two of which are still in operation today.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

The fountains in the building’s entrance hall helped cool the air and lower the temperature inside during the summer heat.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

The Northern Art Nouveau-style building was designed by architect Rzhepishevskyi and constructed in 1912. Oleksandr Rzhepishevskyi lived in this house from 1912 to 1914.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

It was a cooperative housing building, one of the first of its kind in Kharkiv.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

In such buildings, the residents owned their apartments outright rather than renting them, as was the case in typical pre-WWI apartment buildings.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

On the upper floors, the condition of the stairwell deteriorates—here, it is no different from most neglected old Kharkiv buildings.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

On the top floor, there is a window opening made of original Falconier glass blocks, offering a beautiful, photogenic view of Rymars’ka Street.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

In this part of the street, with its low-rise buildings, the tall six-story building at Rymars’ka Street, 6 looks like a skyscraper, but for some reason it doesn’t detract from the overall impression.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2019