How many times have you walked past buildings in the Sololaki or Mtatsminda neighborhoods, or Chugureti, and not noticed the deteriorating facades of the buildings? I bet a lot.
These buildings are full of stories and hide some of the most iconic architectural jewels. In many cases, even locals don’t know much about these gems.
Georgia joined the Russian Empire at the end of the 18th century. The new era brought cultural advancements to Tbilisi, and the city slowly expanded outside its city wall to encompass the area around Freedom Square today.
The new architectural approach brought the staircases into the building. Typical Georgian houses had intricately carved wood balconies and exterior stairs. The citizens began to aspire towards European living standards and fashions, similar to those they saw in Emepal and St. Petersburg.
The bourgeoisie of the time embraced decorative elements like statues and reliefs on building facades, hand painted hallways, as well as a general tendency towards luxury.
Most often, wealthy merchants and civilians owned grandiose buildings. Some people even rented the ground floor and lived on the upper floors. Apartments were usually divided into six or seven rooms plus a kitchen and bathroom. Owners decorated the walls and ceilings in apartment rooms, just as they did with wallpaper or decorative motifs.
My passion for these architectural gems began in 2014 when my brother asked to “show” me something at a three-story apartment building on G. Tabidze Street. He pointed out “1911g”, a date of construction, incorporated into the design on the marble floor. (The “g” is a Russian abbreviation of “year”). As I entered the dimly-lit entrance hall, the majority of the light came from the open front door. A colorful carpet-like mosaic floor welcomed me. Inscribed in Russian in the middle of floor was “Seilanov Brothers”, indicating that they were the original owner of the house.
I slowly turned to look at the entrance hall. Then I saw the paintings: oil paintings hidden under a thick layer of dirt. There were six frames. Five of them displayed images of continents and different countries. Seilanov Brothers, tobacco merchants in the early 20th century. This house was their mansion.
These halls were lavishly decorated to show guests how wealthy the hosts were and how well established they are in society.
Not only that, but the staircase was adorned with decorative paintings. Some were faded and painted beige while others were barely visible. The semi-circular stairs took us to the third floor where light poured in through a glass ceiling.
These stained or plain glass ceilings are common in old houses. The windows let in direct sunlight and lit up the staircase and hallway. The third floor walls are decorated with a family crest, which includes the first letters of both the brothers’ names and the surname.
The moment I saw this building, I was hooked. I set out to learn more about it and find other iconic historical and architectural structures I knew were scattered around Tbilisi. Later, I started my passion project of showing off these architectural gems in an English-language guided tour (www.redfedoradiary.com/tours) and sharing the urban legends that you won’t find in any guidebook.
The style of the vestibules in the neighborhoods of Sololaki and Chugureti combined pseudo-baroque and classicism with traces from Art Nouveau. The artists painted directly on the plaster walls using oil or tempera. They chose images that showed a variety landscapes.
The 20th century bourgeoisie lived a lavish lifestyle, and this was reflected in their hallways and doors. It was their “business card”, and it showed guests that their families were well-established and wealthy.
Only two houses in Armenian or Georgian have carpet-like mosaics that incorporate the word “Salve,” Latin meaning “Welcome.”
Another great example of a house like this is 17 I. Machabeli Street. This was once owned by Michael Kalantarov who was a tobacco and oil businessman in the 20th century.
The house of Kalantarov is different from all the others. The Moorish Oriental style is characterized by tourquise and orange wall colors with lancet arches. It has a stucco stalactite roof. The marble staircase leads up to a wooden entrance that separates this staircase from another marble staircase leading to the second level. The second staircase is decorated with lancet arches and stucco stalactites. It also has a carpet-like roof with stained glass in the middle to bring natural light into the room.
Unfortunately, everything changed with the Soviets coming to power. Owners of these houses had to leave and give their luxurious homes to multiple families at the same time. Some were lucky enough to be allowed to live in a room of their own home. Many of these hallways were whitewashed and many beautiful ornaments, as well as elegant heating stoves, were removed.
Even today, more than a century after the original owners, many families still live in these houses. New residents had to adapt to “new apartments”, adding more space for kitchen, bathroom, and living room. They also divided larger rooms into two smaller rooms.
In the last six and seven years, City Hall only managed to renovate a handful of cultural heritage houses. These include the Kalantarovs, Seilanov Brothers, and a few others on Atoneli Street and Aghmashenebeli Avenue.
Tbilisi is home to dozens of these buildings that require immediate attention. Cracked walls, significantly damaged furnishings, missing statues and plaques; broken cornices and caps; partially or completely painted over wall decorations and broken stained-glass ceilings remain unattended, decaying with time and making the living conditions unsafe for residents.
Even though the government is slow to renovate and rebuild these cultural and historical parts of the city I still have hope that Tbilisi will one day regain its former glory.
BLOG BY BAIA DZAGNIDZE, RED FEDORA DAILY
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