House of Scientists – Alluring Kharkiv

The House of Scientists, located at Zhon Myronosyts Street, 10, is a unique building that has preserved its original, opulent interiors. This Neo-Renaissance architectural landmark was built by Oleksiy Beketov for himself and his family in 1896–1897. The details of the façade and some of the interiors were designed by Beketov’s student, Vasily Krichevsky. The first photograph shows a magnificent tapestry painted by artist Nikolai Uvarov and mounted on the ceiling.

The refectory still features murals by the artist Mikhail Pestrikov.

Beketov’s Office:

^{MDCCCXCVII – 1897 in Roman numerals, the year of construction. Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2012}

Originally, the right wing of the building featured an open veranda on the second floor, supported by caryatid statues.

As a result of Russian missile strikes in March 2022, the House of Scientists was damaged. The blast wave completely destroyed the stained-glass window, which had been created in Germany based on Beketov’s sketches and reconstructed in 1969 by Kharkiv artists A. Pronin and G. Tishchenko. The roof was also damaged, windows were shattered, and the ceiling murals and stucco moldings in the main hall were damaged.