On the evening of October 1, in the center of St. Petersburg, the Miller mansion, located on the corner of St. Isaac's Square and Yakubovich Street, opposite St. Isaac's Cathedral, caught fire. RIA Novosti reports this.
Eight fire engines and several ambulance crews were sent to the scene. The fire completely engulfed the historical building, which has the status of a cultural heritage site of regional significance. Initially, no one was injured as a result of the fire.
The head of the press service of the main directorate of the Ministry of Emergency Situations, Andrei Litovka, emphasized that the mansion is being saved right now by 165 personnel and 37 pieces of equipment, including 125 personnel and 25 pieces of equipment from the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations.
At 01:00, the Ministry of Emergency Situations of St. Petersburg at Max stated that the fire was localized: “In an unused building measuring 60x33 meters, there was a fire on an area of 2000 square meters, in an adjacent building the roof sheathing was burning on an area of 250 square meters.”
As an Izvestia correspondent said, rescuers practically extinguished the open burning in Miller’s mansion.
Fire scale
The flame spread to a nearby historical building, RT noted in its Telegram channel. It houses hotels, cafes and several organizations. The building was cut off from power supply and people were evacuated.
There was no longer any open burning on the roof of the neighboring house. Firefighters watered the structures and used a grinder to carry out the necessary work.
Destruction continued to occur in the Miller mansion itself. Eyewitnesses again noticed flashes, showers of sparks and falling beams inside. As Fontanka writes, it is possible that individual structures or ceilings collapsed. The 19th century building itself, according to available data, was completely burned out.
The route to the burning houses on St. Isaac's Square was blocked. The police and the Russian National Guard do not allow people and couriers to enter the station.
“We see how the delivery man is trying to pass, but the Russian Guard is actively turning him around. You chose the wrong place, comrade,” said the publication’s correspondent.
History of the mansion
The burned house is part of the architectural ensemble “K. L. Miller’s Mansion and Apartment House.” The complex was formed from the second half of the 18th century to the end of the 19th century and is designed in an eclectic style. The author of the original project is unknown.
The original building, overlooking St. Isaac's Square, was built in the second half of the 18th century. The complex had different number of storeys: on the side of the square there was a two-story building, and on the side of Yakubovicha Street there was a three-story building. In the courtyard there were one-story and two-story buildings.
Owners and changes
At the end of the 19th century, the house was passed to retired engineer-lieutenant colonel Karl Miller. His brother, academician of architecture Ferdinand Miller, participated in the reconstruction of the complex. Under the new owner, the building has changed significantly.
At the beginning of the 20th century, Colonel Evgeniy Miller became the owner, and then the house was transferred to Matilda Miller. Under her, the facade on the side of Yakubovicha Street was rebuilt according to the design of civil engineer Gvozdikovsky.
After the 1917 revolution, the mansion was nationalized. During the Soviet period, its appearance also partially changed.
According to KGIOP, the facade of the ensemble from St. Isaac's Square before the fire was close to the appearance of the building of the second half of the 18th century. The third floor was added at the end of the 19th century. The facade of the outbuilding corresponded to the appearance of 1872, and the mansion itself corresponded to that of 1879. Other wings of the complex retained elements of mid-19th century architecture.
Condition of the building before the fire
The mansion at the address: Yakubovicha Street, 2bb - had a total height of seven floors, including the attic and basement level. The building contained 11 apartments and 63 rooms.
In recent years, the house has been empty for a long time. The TAS company, which owns the building, reported that it was previously residential, but the residents were resettled due to the disrepair of the structures.
Restoration of the mansion required significant investment, so the city transferred the building to a private owner.
Restoration plans
Before the fire, it was planned to restore the historical complex. This was evidenced by information published on the website of the DOM.RF bank.
“To this day, the house has preserved interiors of historical and artistic value, including stucco decoration, fireplaces, tiled trim and natural wood elements. The building area exceeds three thousand square meters. The planned date for completion of the work is the end of 2027,” the message said.
At the time of the fire, the mansion retained interior elements that had historical and artistic value, including stucco decoration, fireplaces, tiles and natural wood details.
