House with Chimaeras (Ukrainian: Будинок з химерами, Budynok z khymeramy) or Horodetsky House (named for Władysław Horodecki) is an Art Nouveau building located in the historic Lypky neighborhood of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Situated across the street from the President of Ukraine's office at No. 10, Bankova Street, the building has been used as a presidential residence for official and diplomatic ceremonies since 2005.[1][2] The street in front of the building is closed off to all automobile traffic, and is now a patrolled pedestrian zone due to its proximity to the Presidential Administration building.
The Polish architect Władysław Horodecki originally constructed the House with Chimaeras for use as his own upmarket apartment building during 1901–02. However, as the years went by, Horodecki eventually had to sell the building due to financial troubles, after which it changed ownership numerous times before finally being occupied by an official Communist Party polyclinic until the early 2000s.[3] When the building was vacated, its interior and exterior decor were fully reconstructed and restored according to Horodecki's original plans.[4]
The building derives its popular name from the ornate decorations depicting exotic animals and hunting scenes, which were sculpted by Italian architect Emilio Sala, since Horodecki was an avid hunter.[5] The name does not refer to the chimaera of mythology, but to an architectural style known as chimaera decoration in which animal figures are applied as decorative elements to a building. Horodecki's unique architectural style earned him praise as the Antoni Gaudí of Kyiv.[4][6]
A House with Chimaeras was designed by the Polish architect Władysław Horodecki in 1901–1902.[4] Horodecki was born in 1863 into a prosperous Polish szlachta (noble) family in the Podillia region.[5] After finishing the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg in 1890, he moved to Kyiv, where he lived for almost 30 years.[5] At the time of the building's construction, Horodecki had already established himself as a prominent Kyiv architect, having designed and constructed together with his close friend and partner engineer Anton Strauss many city buildings, from the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral to the Karaite Kenesa and what today is the National Art Museum of Ukraine. Besides architecture, Horodecki was also interested in big-game hunting,[5] which explains why his building features many animals.
Horodecki financed the house's construction with borrowed money,[4][7] with the intent for it to be an apartment building.[8][9] Each floor formed a single apartment, connected by an elevator and stairs.[nb 1] Horodecki himself occupied the fourth floor of the building, measuring at about 380 m2 (4,100 sq ft).[8][nb 2]
Horodecki bought the first lot of land on February 1, 1901, with construction work commencing on March 18 of that year. Construction of the exterior walls was finished by August 21, and the roof installed and all masonry work was completed on September 13.[8][9] Due to the economic hardships within the Russian Empire, the completion of the building was delayed. In May 1903, only one apartment on the lowest level and Horodecki's own apartment were occupied.[8] The total cost of the land and construction amounted to 133,000 rubles.[nb 3] In total, 1,550 m2 (16,700 sq ft) of land were used for construction of the building and cost a total of 15,640 rubles.[7] The projected annual profit from the rentals was 7,200 rubles. A cowshed was located on the premises due to Horodecki's insistence on fresh in-house milk,[4][9] though it was specifically placed in a way that the smell of the cows would not disturb the tenants. On a lot adjacent to the building, a miniature alpine garden (approx. 320 m2 or 3,400 sq ft) and a fountain were built.