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. Previously, this area belonged to the suburb of Novyi Svit, which began expanding in the second half of the 19th century, as Lviv grew beyond its historical center.
The street was initially named Ferdynanda Street, after Emperor Ferdinand I, and during the interwar period — Stefana Batorego Street. After World War II, it was renamed to honor 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, intended for intellectuals, university professors, affluent entrepreneurs, and government officials. It features predominantly villa-style development in the styles of Art Nouveau (Secession), Historicism, and early Functionalism.
Its layout follows the natural topography, stretching from east to west with a gentle curve that gives the street a cozy, intimate character. It connects modern streets such as General Chuprynky, Konovaltsia, and Kotliarevskoho, forming an important internal link within the district.
Today, the street retains its historic atmosphere and has protected status as part of Lviv’s architectural heritage.
Builders and Style
The three-story residential building at 11 Akademika Bohomoltsia Street was constructed in 1905 for Izrael and Salomon Elster, along with Leon Topf. The building is an example of an ornamental Secession (Art Nouveau) tenement, typical of early 20th-century Lviv. The design was developed by the Ivan Levynskyi architectural bureau. The façade features decorative details such as stucco ornaments and wrought-iron balconies. The building is listed as an architectural monument of local significance.
Who Was the Owner?
The original owners were Izrael and Salomon Elster and Leon Topf, partners in the firm “Elster & Topf”. In 1931, Samuel Frenkel was listed as the owner, and in the late 1930s, ownership passed to Elsa Hahn (later Frenkel).
What Does the Building Look Like?
The building is three stories high, built of brick and plastered. The façade is divided into a rusticated ground floor and upper stories adorned with pilaster strips and Art Nouveau decoration. The balconies feature wrought-iron railings, and the windows are framed with stucco detailing. The roof was originally clad in dark red sheet metal, but is now covered with slate.
The façade is structured in the Historicism manner: the ground floor is rusticated in a French style and separated by a horizontal band, while the upper levels are segmented with lesenes (pilaster strips). Windows are adorned with stylized frames and pediments, and above the main cornice is a neo-Baroque attic. Certain elements display bright Art Nouveau character — such as stucco floral motifs in window frames, the frieze beneath the cornice, and on the attic, as well as textured plaster panels. The entry gate’s woodwork is in a Neoclassical style.
Interesting Facts
-
The building was constructed together with No. 9 Bohomoltsia Street and the Elster & Topf factory behind them, forming a unified architectural ensemble.
-
In 1935, the old wooden galleries were replaced with new concrete ones, based on a design by architect A. F. Zaranski.
What’s There Now?
Today, the building houses offices.
Sources
-
State Archive of the Lviv Region (DALO) 2/1/129
-
State Archive of the Lviv Region (DALO) 2/1/131
-
Jewish Almanac by Herman Stachl (Lviv, 1937)
-
Irena Kotlobulatowa, Lviv on Old Postcards (Krakow, 2002)
-
Address Book of the Royal Capital City of Lviv, 1914
-
Jakub Lewicki, Between Tradition and Modernity: Architecture of Lviv, 1893–1918 (Warsaw: Society for the Protection of Monuments, Neriton Publishing, 2005)