Instead of metal roofing — oak shingles. A cafe opens in the center of Vitebsk on the site of the police station, in a flawlessly restored 200-year-old building
The usual state of a historical building in Belarus after reconstruction: colored metal roofing, aluminum windows and doors, canopies made of metal pipes and plastic, and glass greenhouses in summer, covering half of the facade. In the center of Vitebsk, they unexpectedly went against the system, returning to the monument shingles, forged canopies, wooden windows, and a beautiful veranda.
The buildings at the corner of Vitebsk streets Suvorova and Sovetskaya were occupied by police officers from the Oktyabrsky District Department of Internal Affairs for a long time. After the security forces vacated the premises, a private investor bought the historical buildings.
The design was handled by the Vitebsk company "Pervy Plan," and local architect Yevgeny Kolbovich acted as the scientific supervisor. The first sign of the project was the opening of LMK cafe Vitebsk in the building of the former forensic department.
This two-story house in the classicism style was built before 1809, and today it is one of the five oldest residential buildings in the Uzgorsk part of Vitebsk. According to archival documents, at the end of the XIX century, this plot belonged to Meer Moiseevich Neiman.
How the building looked before reconstruction. Photo: heritage.gov.by
The building happily survived the revolution, the destruction during World War II, and the clearing of historical buildings by the Soviet authorities in the post-war period.
Its facade still retains the features of exemplary projects from the turn of the XVIII-XIX centuries: strict symmetry, a prominent central part with windows in arched niches, completed by a cornice with a row of characteristic "teeth"-dentils. The restorers approached the preservation of what remained and the restoration of what was lost with utmost seriousness.
Restoring history instead of agra-renaissance
Work began with an analysis of archival materials and old photographs of neighboring houses. It turned out that originally the roof of the building was covered with shingles — split wooden planks, nailed in several layers.
Instead of merely mentioning this fact in a reference and covering the building with colored metal roofing, as usually happens in the historical centers of Belarusian cities, it was decided to bring back the shingles. Even strict fire regulations did not hinder this.
Moreover, the gutters and flashings were made not just from some sheet metal, but from real copper, which will eventually acquire a noble patina. This is now probably the only building in Vitebsk with such a distinctive wooden roof.
The approach to the color scheme of the facades was no less thorough. Specialists conducted a stratigraphic analysis of old plaster layers in the laboratory. It was found that in the XIX century, the main surfaces were ochre, and the decorative elements were light gray. This palette was restored using compatible lime-sand mixtures, deliberately refusing to use modern cement, which inevitably destroys old brickwork over time.
The emergency brick vaults inside were not dismantled or filled with concrete. The ceilings were reinforced with spiral metal anchors, which is an innovative technology for Vitebsk.
The extension to the building, designed as a wooden veranda with an open terrace on the second floor, also turned out very successfully. The wide window in the extension opens wide in summer, connecting the internal space of the cafe with the space of the city's historical center.
Against the backdrop of standard renovations in Belarusian cities, it is striking here that the monument was restored not reluctantly, under duress from Ministry of Culture requirements, but with great love and attention to detail.
The cafe is devoid of cheap "antique" decorations. Above the entrance is a canopy on massive cast brackets - such could be seen on the streets of Vitebsk a hundred years ago. The interior is filled with genuine antiques: furniture, including a bar counter with intricate carving, was collected from all over the world.
Windows and doors are made of solid oak. No plastic windows with double-glazed units, only double casement wooden frames with transoms and historical fittings — when was the last time we saw such a meticulous approach? Even in churches and manors today, simplified imitations are often installed.
On the first floor, in a room with a vaulted ceiling, an exhibition of original posters from Marc Chagall's lifetime exhibitions, which were produced in limited editions, is currently located.
In one of the rooms, a Russian stove, faced with white tiles, was restored according to historical drawings. In another, which will remain closed for now, there is also a white tiled stove with Art Nouveau motifs. The monument is over 200 years old, and it has survived more than one stylistic era, each leaving its mark on its appearance.
One of the old doors, found during restoration (it was previously bricked up in the wall), became part of a photo zone in the inner courtyard — behind it, a mirror opens into a parallel space.
This example is a good argument against those who verbally declare a desire to restore an architectural monument in the best possible way, but end up delivering an ordinary "Euro-renovation" both externally and internally. Excuses range from the high cost of restoration solutions, to complexity of execution, to tight deadlines, to overly strict norms that prevent restoration to the original state. But someone, as the Vitebsk example shows, doesn't look for excuses, but does it as it should be done — if only there is desire and love for the city.
On the tables of the establishment, a printed message from the project creator is left for visitors. There he recalls his childhood years in Vitebsk: sledding to kindergarten, music school classes, first love, holidays on the Vitba river, and boyish fights in the 90s. The author of the letter thanks his music teachers, Belarusian language and literature teachers from the sixth school, and his father.
"LMK cafe Vitebsk is a tribute of love and respect for beloved Vitebsk... Vitebsk one love," the text says.
Not everything for Suvorova yet
The opening of the cafe in the restored building is only the first stage of a large-scale transformation of the entire block. Next in line is the neighboring, much larger building at 30 Suvorova Street. This monument of eclecticism is twice as young as its neighbor — it was built at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries.
During the study of its structures, architects found traces of a bricked-up archway that once led to the inner courtyard. In Soviet times, this passage was bricked up, turning it into an additional room with a window to the street. Now the designers, together with the owner, intend to reopen this arch and return the building to its original appearance. If the restoration is at the same level, the building will become a true embellishment of the street and all of old Vitebsk.
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