Yeliseyev Emporium

The building of the Yeliseyev Brothers trading partnership, known as the Yeliseyev Emporium, stands on the corner of Nevsky Prospect 56 and Malaya Sadovaya Street 8. It was built in 1902–1903 by the architect Gavriil Baranovsky for the Yeliseyev Brothers' shop selling colonial goods, and is regarded as a monument of early Art Nouveau, sometimes described as "Style Moderne classicism." The building stands opposite Catherine Square by the Alexandrinsky Theatre, next to the Anichkov Palace, the Public Library and the Great Gostiny Dvor — right at the heart of the commercial and cultural life of Nevsky Prospect. Before Baranovsky's building, the site held a three-storey house dating from the late 18th century, raised to five storeys in 1863; the architect began his work by reconstructing the neighbouring buildings, including the wing on Malaya Sadovaya Street.

The building stands out against the classical architecture of the avenue with its stained glass, sculpture and abundance of ornament: its appearance was meant to demonstrate the wealth and reliability of the trading partnership and to draw in customers. The main facade takes the form of a giant arch, five storeys high — the height of the neighbouring buildings — uniting the volume of the shop with that of the theatre and concert hall. The arch's outline is framed by roughly textured granite blocks, though the vault inside the arch is in fact made of reinforced concrete finished to resemble stone. The facade bears four sculptures by Amandus Adamson — allegories of Industry, Trade, Art and Science. The rustication of the facades is arranged in two tiers, and the grilles in the window and shop-window openings are forged in the shape of stems and leaves, as well as stylised into lyres — a nod to the concert hall that occupied the second floor.

Inside the building were three trading halls with mirrors and bronze light fittings. The second floor housed a bank and commercial courses founded by the Yeliseyevs, while the hall was rented out to theatre companies. The basement held storerooms, refrigerated chambers and one of the finest wine cellars in Europe. Together with the Singer Company building on Nevsky Prospect, designed by the architect Pavel Suzor, the Yeliseyev Emporium is regarded as the brightest example of Russian Art Nouveau along the avenue.