Formation of the Street
Yevhen Konovalets Street in Lviv is located in the historic Novyi Svit district, which actively developed in the second half of the 19th and early 20th centuries. Initially, this area belonged to the outskirts of Lviv, but with the city’s growing population and urbanization, it began to be built up with housing for the middle class. The street was laid out at the end of the 19th century and was originally called Student Street (Studentengasse) due to its proximity to the student community of that time. In the interwar period, it was renamed after Polish General Józef Sikorski. After World War II, the street was renamed after Soviet figure Volodymyr Zatonsky. In 1991, during Ukraine’s independence movement, it received its current name — in honor of Colonel of the Ukrainian People’s Army and head of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists, Yevhen Konovalets.
Konovalets Street was predominantly built up between 1900 and the 1930s. The architecture here is dominated by Art Nouveau (Secession), Functionalism, and early Constructivism styles. The street has preserved a number of villas, tenement houses, and smaller buildings that reflect the typical suburban development of Lviv in the early 20th century.
Builders and Styles:
The rental house was built by Ivan Levynskyi’s firm between 1906 and 1908 in the Secession style. On the building’s pediment, one can see a coat of arms — the Lithuanian “Pahonia.”
Who was the Owner?
The first owner of the building was a private developer, likely a small entrepreneur or civil servant. According to early 20th-century cadastral maps, the owner was recorded as Jan Kowalski — a common name among the city’s middle class at that time.
What does the Building Look Like?
The building is three stories tall, rectangular in shape, with a small inner courtyard. The facade is restrained, plastered, decorated with horizontal cornices and modest Secession-style elements above the windows. The entrance gate is adorned with geometric ornamentation. Originally, the windows were wooden with distinctive wide frames, though some have since been replaced.
Interesting Facts:
-
Before World War II, according to local residents, the young composer Witold Lutosławski lived here for some time while undergoing a short-term internship in Lviv.
-
The building survived World War II almost intact and underwent very few reconstructions.
What is There Now?
Today, the building remains residential.
Bibliography
-
Architecture of Lviv: Time and Styles. 13th–21st centuries.
-
Illustrated Guidebook of Lviv, 1939.
-
Architectural Monuments of Lviv: Villas and Tenements of Novyi Svit.
-
Melnyk I. Lviv. Architectural Guidebook.
-
Boyko O. Lviv Between the Wars: Urbanism and Culture.