Kekin House

Brief Information

Kekin House is interesting because it looks like an elegant urban house from the early 20th century, yet functioned as a dense mix of educational, commercial, and administrative spaces. It was built in 1903-1905 for the merchant Leonty Kekin; for the architect Genrikh Rush, it was his final project. The building's appearance combines Art Nouveau and Neo-Gothic, while individual elements carry Moorish motifs, so the house reads not as a single coherent "style," but as an assembled showcase of different architectural languages.

After falling into a dangerous state of disrepair at the end of the 20th century, the building was restored in 2005. An important detail: its exterior appearance was preserved, but modern infrastructure was added, including an underground garage. Therefore, today's retail and office Kekin House should be seen as an old shell adapted to a new function, rather than as a frozen monument to a former era.

What to Notice First

The main focus of the visit is how the facade brings together different functions and eras in one building. It makes sense to compare the Neo-Gothic features with the Art Nouveau elements: this combination is directly connected with the house's eclectic character. The Moorish motifs should be looked for as separate decorative insertions, not as the basis of the entire appearance; they show that the building was designed with recognizable complexity in mind, rather than strict stylistic purity.

Another important layer is that of the income house. In the early 20th century, the building simultaneously housed gymnasiums, the administration of the district of transport routes, a library, a printing house, and several shops. Because of this, it is useful to look at the building not only as a facade, but also as an urban "machine" with many tenants. Its modern retail and office use continues this logic, although after restoration new technical systems were added to the old exterior.