1898. This year is visible on the facade of the building at Poltavskyi Shliakh Street, 29.

…as well 1898 can be found in the names of the art studio 1898ArtSpace and law firm located inside.

But that’s not the year the house was built.

According to the list of architectural landmarks, the building was constructed in 1893.

In 1898, an additional story was apparently added to the first floor.

This is evident from the distinct architectural style of the facade and the eastern solid wall (firewall), on which you can see the outline of the roof from the previous, two-story version of the house.

Sometimes these phantom outlines remain from old, demolished buildings that stood next to the surviving house and shielded part of its wall from the sun, wind, and rain.

But this is a different case—the “neighboring” building has always been low-rise and couldn’t leave a mark on the wall.

According to the 1909 list of homeowners, the house was previously numbered 27 and was owned by Maria Ivanovna Dvornichenko, the wife of a State Councilor.

The building’s facade was gray back in 2015, but it turned yellow about 5 or 6 years ago after renovations.

Unfortunately, the plaster has already started to fall off again.

The entrance was also renovated; while it may have lost some of its charm as a result, it still looks good.

It’s true, though, that quite a few parts of the stair railing are missing