Two Destinies

The two neighboring buildings at Chernyshevska Street, 39 and 39A have taken two different paths. In the 2011 Google Street View images, their conditions were comparable.

Photo: Google Street View, 2011

Currently, House No. 39 lies in ruins, while House No. 39A has been renovated.

Photo: Google Street View, 2011

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

The plaster was removed from the facade, the brickwork was cleaned (although in old photos taken from the courtyard, its condition seemed hopeless), and the roof was rebuilt. Perhaps, to preserve its authenticity, the house should have been replastered as it was originally, but this approach also has its merits—the main thing is that the building is once again bustling with life, which ensures its preservation for years to come.

Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020

In 1909, the house at No. 39 on Chernyshevska Street was owned by Spiridon Romanovich Parkhomenko, a townsman; however, it is not certain that the addresses were not changed after the revolution, as happened with many houses in Kharkiv.

House No. 39—already in ruins. Photo: Ivan Ponomarenko, 2020