For many residents of Kharkiv, the name Oleksiy Beketov is firmly associated with the buildings constructed in their city.

But Oleksiy Beketov designed many buildings both in Ukraine and abroad.

For example, in the heart of the Kyiv, near Mariinsky Park, at Mykhaila Hrushevskoho Street, 9, stands a large apartment block originally built for employees of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine, built in 1935–1936.

This building was designed by Oleksiy Beketov in collaboration with his talented student, Oleksiy Tatsii, the architect behind many Constructivist works in both Kharkiv and Kyiv.

Beketov’s signature style is clearly evident—elements of the building do indeed bear a resemblance to the Liitera building, one of Beketov’s latest works.

A Kyiv resident who has lived in the building since the early 1950s told us that during the Soviet era, there was a doorman on duty in every lobby.

There were security guards in the courtyard who wouldn’t let anyone park their cars there for even five minutes.

The layout and interior design of each apartment were executed to the highest standard; however, this comes as no surprise, given that the building was intended for members of Ukraine’s top party leadership.

Source: “Architect Oleksa Tatsii (1903–1967): On the 100th Anniversary of His Birth” / State Construction Committee of Ukraine, V.G. Zabolotny National Academy of Architecture and Urban Planning; edited by H.A. Voitsekhivska and E.O. Tatsii. – Kyiv: MPP “Prima”, 2003.