Instead of metal roofing — oak shingles. A café opens in the center of Vitebsk, on the site of a former 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 that cover half the facade. In the center of Vitebsk, they unexpectedly went against the system, returning the monument to its original state with shingles, forged canopies, wooden windows, and a beautiful veranda.
The buildings at the corner of Vitebsk streets Suvorova and Sovetskaya were long occupied by police officers from the Oktyabrsky District Department of Internal Affairs. After the law enforcement officers vacated the premises, a private investor bought the historical buildings.
The design was handled by the Vitebsk company "Pervy Plan," and local architect Yevgeny Kalbovich served as the scientific supervisor. The first step of the project was the opening of LMK cafe Vitebsk in the building of the former forensics 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 archive documents, at the end of the 19th century, this plot belonged to Meer Moiseyev Neyman.
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 Soviet authorities in the post-war period.
Its facade still retains the features of exemplary projects from the turn of the 18th-19th centuries: strict symmetry, a prominent central part with arched window niches, topped with a cornice featuring a row of characteristic "teeth"-dentils. The restorers approached the preservation of what remained and the restoration of what was lost with maximum seriousness.
Restoring history instead of "agro-renaissance"
Work began with an analysis of archival materials and old photographs of neighboring houses. It turned out that the building's roof was originally covered with shingles — split wooden planks, nailed in several layers.
Instead of just mentioning this fact in a report 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 decision.
Moreover, the gutters and flashings were made not just from some tin, 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 facade's color scheme was equally thorough. Specialists conducted a stratigraphic analysis of old plaster layers in the laboratory. It was found that in the 19th century, the main surfaces were ocher, 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 annex to the building, designed as a wooden veranda with an open terrace on the second floor, also turned out very successfully. A wide window in the annex opens wide in the summer, connecting the cafe's internal space with the space of the city's historical center.
Against the backdrop of standard renovations in Belarusian cities, it's striking that this monument was not restored reluctantly, under pressure 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 — one that could have been 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 estates today, people tend to install simplified imitations.
On the first floor, in a room with a vaulted ceiling, there is currently an exhibition of original posters from Marc Chagall's lifetime exhibitions, which were released in limited editions.
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 opens a mirror 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 then deliver a standard "Euro-renovation" both externally and internally. Excuses include the high cost of restoration solutions, the complexity of execution, tight deadlines, or excessively strict regulations that prevent restoration to the original state. But some, as the Vitebsk example shows, don't look for excuses, but do it as it should be — if only there is desire and love for the city.
A printed message from the project's creator is left for visitors on the establishment's tables. There he mentions his childhood years in Vitebsk: sledding to kindergarten, music school classes, first love, recreation on the Vitba river, and street fights in the 90s. The letter's author thanks his music teachers, Belarusian language and literature teachers from the sixth school, and his father.
"LMK cafe Vitebsk — this is a tribute of love and respect to beloved Vitebsk... Vitebsk one love," the text reads.
Not everything for Suvorova yet
The opening of the café 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 Suvorova Street, 30. This eclectic monument is twice as young as its neighbor — it was built at the turn of the 19th and 20th 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 facing the street. Now, the designers, together with the owner, intend to reopen this arch and restore the building to its original appearance. If the restoration is at the same level, the building will become a true adornment of the street and the entire old Vitebsk.
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