Lobanov-Rostovsky Residence or the Lobanov-Rostovsky Palace is a building at 12 Admiralteysky Avenue in Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg

Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...

, Russia, constructed in 1817-1820 for Prince A.Y. Lobanov-Rostovsky

Lobanov-Rostovsky

Lobanov-Rostovsky was a Russian princely family.-History:It originated with Prince Ivan , who lived at the end of the 15th century and was a great-grandson of ruling prince of Rostov Konstantin Vasilyevich.-Notable members:...

. The building is being renovated for the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts

Four Seasons Hotels, Inc. is a Canadian-based international ultra-luxury, five-star hotel management company. Travel + Leisure magazine and Zagat Survey rank the hotel chain's 84 properties among the top luxury hotels worldwide...

, scheduled to open early 2012.

Architecture

The Neoclassical

Neoclassical architecture

Neoclassical architecture was an architectural style produced by the neoclassical movement that began in the mid-18th century, manifested both in its details as a reaction against the Rococo style of naturalistic ornament, and in its architectural formulas as an outgrowth of some classicizing...

 or Empire style building is an early work of the architect Auguste de Montferrand

Auguste de Montferrand

Auguste de Montferrand was a French Neoclassical architect who worked primarily in Russia. His two best known works are the Saint Isaac's Cathedral and the Alexander Column in St. Petersburg.-Family:...

. The triangular building faces Admiralteisky Avenue, Voznesensky Avenue and Saint Isaac's Square.

The main entrance, on the Admiralteisky Avenue, has an eight-column portico facing the Admiralty building

Admiralty building, Saint Petersburg

The Admiralty building is the former headquarters of the Admiralty Board in St. Petersburg, russia.-History:The building you see now was re-built in the nineteenth century to support the Tsar's maritime ambitions. The original design was a fortified ship yars which was later surrounded by four...

, and its porch is guarded by white marble Medici lions

Medici lions

The Medici lions are two lion sculptures placed around 1600 at the Villa Medici, Rome, Italy, and since 1789 displayed at the Loggia dei Lanzi, Florence. The sculptures depict standing male lions with a sphere under one claw, looking to the side...

 by sculptor Paolo Triscorni on granite pedestals. Triscorni's sculptures were made famous by Pushkin in his last long poem, The Bronze Horseman

The Bronze Horseman (poem)

The Bronze Horseman: A Petersburg Tale is a narrative poem written by Aleksandr Pushkin in 1833 about the equestrian statue of Peter the Great in Saint Petersburg. Widely considered to be Pushkin's most successful narrative poem, "The Bronze Horseman" has had a lasting impact on Russian...

.

History

In 1824, the mezzanine and the first floor of the residence were rented for the Ministry of War of the Russian Empire for 63,000 rouble]s a year. On 23 June 1828, the entire building was bought by the State Treasury for one million roubles, and in 1829-1830 it was renovated to meet the Ministry's needs. It housed the principal establishments of the Ministry until its dissolution in 1918.

After October 1917 there was Military-Political Academy, aeronautical museum and dormitory located in the building. Since 1946, Project Institute no 1, the head organisation for designing industrial buildings and complexes has been located here.

In 2009 a project to renovate the building for the Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts started, scheduled to be finished in 2011 for opening early 2012.

External links

• Four Seasons Hotel Lion Palace St. Petersburg - Official website
• lionpalace.ru - project site for the ongoing Four Seasons' renovation
• http://eng.nimrah.ru/exhibitions/old/51/