Riga Art Nouveau Centre during this snowfull weekend invites to pay your attention to the most attractive ensembles of the Eclectically-Decorative Art Nouveau in the city: The buildings at Elizabetes iela 10a and Elizabetes iela 10b.
Once Apartment House with Shops of Active State Councillor Andrey Lebedinsky. The building, after which Riga and its Art Nouveau pearls are recognized most often in the world. Mikhail Eisenstein used the elevation drawing developed and published by Leipzig architect Georg Wünschmann and artist Hans Kozel. The façade of the two upper floors make a wonderful background for stucco decorations and sculptures. The monumental, thoughtful faces of female mascarons rising two floors high above the central avant –corps complete the sumptuous attic and make one ruminate about the meaning and essence of life.
Konstantīns Pēkšēns was responsible for the initial design of the typically eclectic building at Elizabetes iela 10a. Already during the construction process Mikhail Eisenstein incorporated façade of the building unusually extravagant and magnificent Art Nouveau ornamentation and on the top floor created a large, impressive window aperture in the shape of a keyhole. Several of the decorative features include the carriage spring motif associated with Mikhail Eisenstein’s workplace (Department of public traffic ways of the Vidzeme provincial government of which he was the head).
