The Russian military heavily damaged the former merchant estate

Julia Gush

During the full-scale invasion, the Russians badly damaged the historic center of Kharkiv. On March 14, 2022, a Russian missile hit the building of the Kharkiv dermatological and venereological dispensary on Blagovishchenska Street. A fire started as a result of the flight. The roof was destroyed, the windows and walls of the building were damaged. Most of the dispensary premises were also damaged. For some time the building remained without a roof, which also affected the general technical condition. The rains only increased the destruction, the unique molding began to fall from the walls. In December of the same year, work on the conservation of the building began. The builders closed the roof from precipitation, and also stabilized its decoration.

This building is an architectural landmark that has stood for over 100 years. It was built in 1899 according to the project of the famous Ukrainian architect Oleksiy Beketov. Initially, it was the estate of the merchant Sokolov. The house was notable for its decoration. In particular, in its assembly hall there was a painting “Apotheosis of Apollo”, which belonged to the brush of the painter Mykola Uvarov. Later, a dermatological and venereologica dispensary was located in the building. Beketov is an iconic figure for Kharkiv architecture. At one time, he designed more than 40 public and residential buildings in the Neo-Renaissance or modern style for Kharkiv.

The publication was financed by the Internews Network and the NGO “INSTITUTE OF MASS INFORMATION” within the framework of the “Media Program in Ukraine” project