Batumi, 37 Konstantine Gamsakhurdia Street
Brief Description of the Building:
This house was presumably built at the beginning of the 20th century and was owned by Stepane Karapet s son, Matsoiani. Since 1972, it has housed the Palace of Youth (formerly known as the Palace of Pioneers).
The two-story building features a main façade facing the street, richly adorned with sculptural elements in the Classical-Baroque style. The central section of the symmetrically composed façade is marked by a risalit topped with a curvilinear pediment. At its center is the entrance to the stairwell. The rectangular openings on the first floor are framed with profiled moldings and are crowned with pediments supported by brackets decorated with plant-motif ornaments. The tympanums of the pediments are filled with small sculpted human heads.
A profiled belt course separates the first and second floors. On the second floor, the windows are arched and framed with curved moldings, within which decorative elements resembling keystones are inserted. The side façade of the building contains another entrance, highlighted by an ornate wrought-iron canopy. A single metal balcony is located at the center of the second floor of the main façade.
The building’s vertical axis is emphasized by the alignment of the first-floor entrance, the second-floor balcony, the door behind the balcony, the triangular pediments above the doors, and the curvilinear parapet crowning the structure. The house has a moderate level of artistic and architectural value but plays an important role in the overall urban fabric of the street. The building is characterized by quality craftsmanship and represents an interesting example of eclectic architecture.
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