Formation of the street
Akademika Bohomoltsia Street in Lviv was formed within the so-called villa district in Novyi Svit (New World), which was actively developed from the late 19th to early 20th century. Originally, this area belonged to the suburban district known as Novyi Svit, which began to expand significantly in the second half of the 19th century, as Lviv grew beyond its historical center.
Initially, the street bore the name Ferdinand Street (after Emperor Ferdinand I), and in the interwar period, it was named after King Stefan Batory. Following World War II, the street was renamed after the prominent Ukrainian scientist, pathophysiologist, and President of the Academy of Sciences of the Ukrainian SSR, Oleksandr Bohomolets.
Bohomoltsia Street was planned as part of an elite residential area, designed for intellectuals, professors, wealthy entrepreneurs, and public officials. The predominant architecture here consists of villas and townhouses built in Art Nouveau, Historicist, and early Functionalist styles.
The layout of the street respects the natural terrain, extending from east to west with a gentle curve, giving it a cozy, intimate character. Spatially, Bohomoltsia Street connects modern-day streets General Chuprynka, Konovaltsia, and Kotliarevskoho, forming an important inner-neighborhood link.
Today, the street retains its historical atmosphere and has heritage status as part of Lviv’s architectural legacy.
Architects and architectural styles
The three-story townhouse at No.4 Bohomoltsia Street was erected in 1905–1906, based on a project developed in the architectural office of Ivan Levynskyi for the “Elster & Topf” company. The former rental building is part of an Art Nouveau architectural ensemble surrounding a landscaped square in the street’s center. It is listed as an architectural monument of local significance.
Ownership history
The plot where this building stands emerged in 1904, when today’s Bohomoltsia Street (then Adam Asnyk Street) was laid out, and the territory of a former villa with gardens (previously at 5 Panska Street, conscription number 508 4/4) was divided for residential development. Initially, the owner of this plot was Klementyna Witosławska née Bochdan (z Bochdanów Witosławska).
Later, the plot for building No.4, along with neighboring buildings No.8, 9, and 11, was acquired by the firm “Elster & Topf”, receiving the new conscription number 921 4/4. The design of this apartment building was completed in 1905 by Ivan Levynskyi’s architectural bureau (DALO 2/1/124:3). Changes to the original design were approved in 1906, adding a fourth floor above the rear wing (outbuilding), designed for photographic studio spaces. Construction was finished in October 1906, and occupancy permits were granted simultaneously (DALO 2/1/124:11-).
From 1906 to 1914, the photo studio “Helios” operated in the building’s rear wing, initially owned by Irena Mieczkowska and later by Max Apisdorf. Between 1906–1908, the studio had a branch at 33 Sixtuska Street (now Doroshenka Street), and between 1908–1914 at 28 Kopernyka Street. In 1906, photographer Oskar Wilczer, a resident of the building, petitioned the magistrate to install a shop window next to the entrance, based on a design by architect Artur Schleyen. Permission was granted only after repeated appeals from Irena Mieczkowska (DALO 2/1/121:146,163).
Appearance of the building
The building occupies a central position within the continuous row of development along Bohomoltsia Street. This former rental townhouse dating from the early 20th century was built with modern materials and infrastructure for its time, including electric wiring, water supply, and sewage systems. Despite its modernity, the building is stylistically more traditional than the rest of the street’s ensemble. The façade composition is symmetrical, typical for Historicism, featuring pronounced tectonic elements (rusticated ground floor, substantial balconies, side risalits with attic gables). However, the decorative details distinctly reflect the Art Nouveau style: majolica panels, mascarons, stylized floral ornaments, and wrought-iron balcony brackets.
The three-story brick building includes basements and a mansard attic, plastered façades, reinforced concrete floors, and balconies. Currently, the roof is covered with metal sheets, though it likely had original ceramic roof tiles. The floor plan is U-shaped, with two- and three-room apartments. Over time, the building underwent some modifications, such as attic reconstruction, apartment replanning, and roof replacement. However, authentic features have largely survived, including the staircase with wrought-iron railings, original ornamental floor tiles, decorative façade elements, and partially preserved window and door joinery.
Sources
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State Archives of Lviv Oblast (DALO), fonds 2/1/124.
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Informator lwowski, 1932.
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Księga adresowa królewskiego stołecznego miasta Lwowa (Lemberg, 1914).
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Lewicki, Jakub. Między tradycją a nowoczesnością: Architektura Lwowa lat 1893–1918. Warsaw: Towarzystwo Opieki nad Zabytkami, Wydawnictwo Neriton, 2005, pp. 260–262.
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Skorowidz królewskiego stołecznego miasta Lwowa (Lemberg, 1910).
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Skorowidz królewskiego stołecznego miasta Lwowa (Lwów, 1920).