The House with Chimaeras or Gorodetsky House is a major Art Nouveau building in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. It was built in the period of 1901-1902 by Vladislav Gorodetsky, who was regarded as the Gaudí of Kiev.
The building is commonly dubbed as "The House With Chimaeras" because it contains various scenes depicting exotic animals and hunting scenes, as Gorodetsky was an avid hunter. It is situated on № 10, Bankova Street, across from the president of Ukraine's office in the historic Pechersk neighbourhood of Kiev. It is currently used as a presidential residence for official and diplomatic ceremonies.
The Italian sculptor Emilio Sala made both the internal and external sculptural decorations, such as mermaids, dolphins, and frogs on the roof of the building, sinking ships and hunting trophies on the exterior walls, and exuberant interior decorations, such as grand stairways and chandeliers depicting huge catfish strangled in the stems of lotus flowers. (Full article...)