Moses Fayans' Apartment Building

The former apartment building owned by Moisey Fayans is located at Myronosytska Street.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

The house was built in 1910 according to the design of architect Mikhail Piskunov.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

Between 2011 and 2013, some of the building’s balconies were removed, but the facade was later given a facelift.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

The entranceway’s glazing was also replaced with double-pane windows; the new framing attempts to mimic the old style, although the white frames don’t suit the building.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

Judging by the windows, the vast majority of the rooms in the building appear to be abandoned, both on the front and back sides, but there are still signs of life on the ground floor on the left.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

And besides, there was obviously once a very beautiful Art Nouveau door here—the current metal one doesn’t fit in with the entrance area at all.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

To the residents of Kharkiv, this building is best known for the “Moloko” store that used to be located on its corner.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

From 1921 onward, this building was home to Stefan Taranushenko (1889–1976), an outstanding art historian, architectural historian, and museum curator. His photographs and research from the 1910s and 1920s are of immense value—he managed to photograph and measure many churches on the Left Bank of Dnipro that were destroyed during the Soviet anti-religious campaign, and he was even able to save many of the buildings. In 1933, Taranushenko was repressed.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

In this 2011 photo, the balconies on the building were still visible.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2011

In April 2022, the house was damaged by a rocket strike carried out by Russian forces.

Video: Natalie Zubar, Maidan Monitoring