The residential house of Praskovya Nikitichna Shchelukhina (Korolenko Street) is a regional-significance architectural monument in Nizhny Novgorod, built in 1911–1912. The income-generating apartment house in the style of wooden rational Art Nouveau belonged to Praskovya Nikitichna Shchelukhina, a peasant woman from Ryazan Governorate; after 1918 it ceased to be her property. The building is notable for a rare attic skylight lantern — reportedly the only such element in the city center. In 2020 the house was granted the status of a regional-significance architectural monument, and after restoration it became part of the open-air museum "Zapovednye Kvartaly" (Heritage Quarters).[1]
Architecture
The building has an L-shaped floor plan: a plastered brick base and two wooden stories with half-timbered cladding.[1] The tent-shaped ("epancha") roof is crowned by a triple-arched window and a wrought-iron finial.[1] The principal architectural rarity is the attic window, constructed from Falconier glass bricks; it is reportedly the only such element in the center of Nizhny Novgorod.[1] The interior retains original doors with worn handles, cornices, stoves, wooden staircases, and decorative elements that convey the atmosphere of the early twentieth century.[1]
Preservation and Restoration
In 2013 the house was slated for demolition, after which its residents were relocated, but the demolition never took place.[1] In 2018 the building was recognized as a heritage object, and in 2020 it received the status of a regional-significance architectural monument.[1] Restoration began in the summer of 2022 with the facade and window repairs; replicas of the Falconier glass panes were also produced. By autumn 2023 the work was fully completed.[1]
Current Use
After restoration, the house became part of the open-air museum "Zapovednye Kvartaly" (Heritage Quarters), which unites the historic buildings of the Three Hierarchs Church quarter.[1] The historic interior has been restored inside; the space is open to visitors and hosts chamber concerts, lectures, workshops, and tours dedicated to The History of Nizhny Novgorod and wooden architecture.[1] A number of guided tour programs have been developed for the house, including "A Visit to Shchelukhina's" (a 45-minute tour of the apartment house) and "Chronicles of the Apartment House."[1] Behind the house lies the "Garden of Dreamers" — an open space among old manor buildings where free concerts, lectures, workshops, and family programs are held in summer.[1]
Sources
- tickets.zkvartaly.ru — Zapovednye Kvartaly. 17 Korolenko Street
- czechprestige.cz — Témata k ústní části všeobecné SJZ z ruského jazyka