Batumi, Zviad Gamsakhurdia Street N40 / Stepane Zubalashvili Street N2
Brief Description of the Building:
This two-story building was constructed in the late 19th century. With an L-shaped plan, it presents its long façade to Z. Gamsakhurdia Street, while its shorter façades face S. Zubalashvili and Khulo streets.
The first floor is used for commercial purposes and is divided by large rectangular storefront windows. The spaces between them are filled with pilasters made of rusticated elements. Above each shop window runs a horizontal ledge equal to its width. Beneath the stringcourse that separates the two floors, a row of pyramid-like elements is visible (though only half of it remains intact).
The second floor’s walls are left plain, with rectangular openings framed by profiled moldings. The entire building is crowned with a projecting cornice. At the second-floor level, the shorter façades feature suspended wrought-iron balconies with decorative railings, inspired by Classical and Renaissance styles.
With its simple forms and unassuming decoration, this building is a modest yet characteristic example of the architecture found in Batumi’s historic district.