Formation of the Street
Akademika Bohomoltsia Street in Lviv developed within the so-called villa district of Novyi Svit, which was actively built up in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This area had previously belonged to the suburb known as Novyi Svit, which began developing in the second half of the 19th century as Lviv expanded beyond its historic center.
The street was originally named Ferdynanda (after Emperor Ferdinand I), and during the interwar period it was known as Stefan Batory Street. After World War II, it was renamed in honor of Academician Oleksandr Bohomolets, a prominent Ukrainian scientist, pathophysiologist, and president of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR.
Bohomoltsia Street was designed as part of an elite residential zone for intellectuals, professors, affluent entrepreneurs, and government officials. The area features villa-style development in the styles of Art Nouveau (Secession), Historicism, and early Functionalism.
The street follows the natural terrain, running from east to west with a gentle curve, giving it a cozy, intimate atmosphere. Spatially, it connects the present-day streets of General Chuprynky, Konovaltsia, and Kotliarevskoho, forming an important intra-block link.
Today, the street retains its historic atmosphere and holds protected status as part of Lviv’s architectural heritage.
Builders and Style
The building at the corner of Akademika Bohomoltsia and Klyonovycha Streets was constructed in 1907–1908 based on a design by architect Julian Cybulski for lawyer Alfred Zgurski and his wife Maria. Initially three stories high, it was extended with a fourth floor in 1928, designed by architect Henryk Orlean. The architectural style combines elements of Historicism and ornamental Secession.
Who Owned It?
The original owners were Alfred and Maria Zgurski. In 1922, the building was transferred to Józef Zelcer, who later that year sold it to Józef and Róża Stryjer.
What Does the Building Look Like?
This is a four-story townhouse with a basement, built of brick and plastered. The basement ceilings are constructed using the Klein system, and the intermediate floors are reinforced concrete. The gable roof is covered with painted sheet metal. The building shares a courtyard with adjacent buildings on Klyonovycha Street.
The architectural composition emphasizes the chamfered corner with an oriel (bay window), which dominates the volume. The façades are asymmetrical. The style is reserved, blending Neoclassical and Secessionist elements. The rusticated ground floor is separated by a string course. The second and third floors are articulated with rusticated pilaster strips and stucco garlands at the top. Windows have profiled frames and linear cornices. Balconies on the eastern façade rest on brackets decorated with Secessionist stucco, while the wrought iron railings are Neoclassical in style, adorned with characteristic wreath motifs. The fourth floor, added during the interwar reconstruction, stylistically aligns with the original lower part of the building. The main portal features a Secession-style metal-framed door.
Interesting Facts
In the 1930s, the building housed the Micron Electromechanical Institute and the Rapid-Mill paper products factory.
What’s Here Now?
Today, the building is used as a residential property.
Sources
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State Archives of the Lviv Region (DALO) 2/1/130: 12, 15–21, 29–30.
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Almanach Żydowski by Herman Stachl (Lwów, 1937).
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Kotlobulatowa, I., Lwów on Old Postcards (Kraków, 2002).
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Address Book of the Royal Capital City of Lviv, 1914.
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Lewicki, Jakub. Between Tradition and Modernity: Architecture of Lviv, 1893–1918 (Warsaw: Society for the Protection of Monuments, Neriton Publishing House, 2005), p. 260.