We’re continuing our series “You Won’t See This Tomorrow,” in which we’ll be featuring remarkable buildings—living monuments to the city’s history—that are falling apart before our eyes without repairs or restoration.

This house is located at Lopatyns’kyi Lane, 4 and is one of the most prominent buildings in Kharkiv’s Podil district.

The building’s facade is designed in an eclectic style that leans more toward a pseudo-Russian style—which, incidentally, was not all that common in Kharkiv architecture at the end of the 19th century. Be that as it may, the house has fallen into serious disrepair; it has lost its balconies, and many of the windows have been bricked up—and have been for quite some time. Moreover, traces of another, newer house are visible on the wall; it had been attached to the building we’re discussing today and was eventually demolished. In general, judging by German aerial photographs from World War II, the area around the building was quite densely built up. Now, behind it lies a vacant lot with the remains of walls from other ruined houses. And there is, alas, no doubt that the house at Lopatyns’kyi Lane, 4 is next in line.

According to recent research by A. Paramonov, the house was built by merchant Nikolai Streliany in the late 1890s; the lot was later purchased by another merchant, Nikolai Moiseenko—who added a second story to the house, slightly altering the decorative style, yet ensuring it remained in keeping with the overall character of the building.