K.A. Gutheyl’s mansion

Особняк, расположенный по адресу Пречистенский переулок, дом 8, строение 1 - один из немногих примеров в Москве, где стиль модерн гармонично сочетается с элементами рококо, создавая неповторимую атмосферу элегантности и изысканности. Здание было построено в 1902–1903 годах по проекту известного архитектора В. Ф. Валькота Московским торгово-строительным обществом, возглавлял которое Яков Рекк. Возведен дом на месте старой усадьбы князя И. А. Гагарина, сгоревшей в 1812 году. Стиль и облик строения зависел не от предпочтений заказчика, а от фантазии и индивидуальности зодчего. Вопреки канонам модерна здание симметрично. Центральный ризалит посередине — это главный вход в особняк. Фасад облицован сверкающей глазурованной бледно-фиолетовый плиткой. Округлым очертаниям орнаментов вторят округлые оконные и дверные проемы. Дом строился "под ключ", после чего был выставлен на продажу. Покупателем стал Карл Гутхейль, сын известного нотного издателя Александра Богдановича Гутхейля.

В середине XIX века Александр Гутхейль основал в Москве музыкально-издательскую компанию. Фирма Гутхейля стала одной из крупнейших в России, издавая произведения русских и западноевропейских композиторов, включая С. В. Рахманинова, М. А. Балакирева, Ш. Гуно, Дж. Верди и многих других. В 1914 году, после начала Первой мировой войны и роста антигерманских настроений, Карл Гутхейль был вынужден продать издательство и эмигрировать в Германию.

После революции 1917 года здание использовалось для различных государственных нужд: здесь был устроен дошкольный детский дом, а затем Центральный дом детского коммунистического движения. В 1960 году дворовая часть особняка была надстроена вторым этажом. В том же году под жилое помещение была переделана открытая терраса со стороны восточного фасада. Остались лишь парадные помещения, чьё декоративное убранство сохранилось до наших дней.

At the end of the XIX century a new fashion trend came to Russia from Europe. It was a construction of houses for sale "on a turnkey basis" in order to resale to very wealthy clients. This house was not built for a specific owner with his fancy style. It was built as an architectural object. Its style and face were more dependent on the creative style and individuality of architect than the customer’s interest. Art Nouveau was very suitable for this goal. The houses in this style were very stylish. They were built under the most trendsetting technologies with the most advanced engineering systems, and adorned our city unusually. In 1899 a young and wealthy banker Jacob Rekk created the Moscow Trade and Construction Joint Stock Company. The company bought the old estate of Prince I. For the construction of new mansions on a turnkey basis, the Society bought an old estate of Prince I.A. Gagarin in the Mertviy Lane, which burned down in 1812. The house number 8 in Prechistensky (Mertviy) Lane was built in 1903 by the famous architect William Walcott (1874-1943). The architect was born in Odessa, got education in St. Petersburg and Paris, and at the beginning of XX century he began to practice in Moscow. He was one of the first who built in the Art Nouveau style. Specialized journals published with pleasure his wonderful architectural graphics. In 1908 William Walcott returned to England, where he worked mainly as a printmaker, a graphic artist and a draftsman until 1943. This house is unique. In the interior there are Rococo features which make this small building intimacy and great tastefulness. The building has a symmetrical form as distinct from other buildings of Art Nouveau. Central risalit in the middle is the main noble entrance in the house. A wonderful girl Lorelei looks at by-passers from entrance door portal in the middle of the arch. The same girls are placed on vignettes of decorative compositions above triple windows of side risalits. The facade is faced with a lightening pink glazed tile, where stucco panels, depicting putti babies, are located. Round window and door openings repeat rounded shape of patterns. Ornament in rococo style and glass high-angle canopy over the entrance are taken from the French Art Nouveau. Moscow trade and Construction Joint Stock Company sold the house to the famous notes publisher Alexander Gutheyl’s son Karl. A native of Frankfurt -am-Main Alexander Gutheyl established a music publishing firm "A.B.Gutheyl" in Moscow in the middle of the XIX century. In 1882, a company was headed by the founder's son Karl, he made it one of the largest note publishing houses, which had a shop in Moscow at the Kuznetsky bridge in the Junkers house and on the Nevsky Prospekt in Petersburg. At first the firm produced works of the famous Western European classics, but since 1870 Russian composers started to be published. Gutheyl’s publishing house published most of the works of S. Rachmaninov, some romances and piano pieces of Balakirev, Arensky's and Grechaninov’s works, collections of Russian folk songs, collection of romances of Varlamov, Alyabev and Gurilev, the works of many other composers. Gutheyl’s publications had very beautiful design. Artists often used vignettes and baroque ornaments for decoration of music books. In 1915 Carl sold the publishing house to Russian musical Society of Natalia and Sergei Kusevitskys after the anti-German riots in Moscow and went to Germany. The Gutheyls family left the house on the Mertviy lane earlier. In 1913 the noble house was owned by the family of Dionysius Karzinkin, who was a representative of a famous merchant family in Moscow. He was also a candidate -director of Industrial and Commercial Association of Yaroslavl large manufactory. In 2008-2010 the noble house was carefully restored. Now there is a Morocco Embassy here.