Art Nouveau plays a major role in Riga’s architectural heritage, and one of the most striking examples is the building at 10b Elizabetes Street, which can be considered one of Riga’s famous buildings. Located in the elegant “Quiet Centre” district just a 10-minute walk from the Old Town, it stands out with its ornate façade and sculptural details.
One of the most impressive examples of early Art Nouveau can be seen at 10b Elizabetes Street - a building designed by Mikhail Eisenstein, the father of cinema genius Sergei Eisenstein. It was built in 1903. The building has an extraordinarily colourful facade. Note the composition of masks, peacocks, sculptural elements and geometrical figures, as well as the bright blue tile covering on the upper levels of the building. The facade was designed by copying and complementing drawings by two Leipzig architects, Georg Wünschmann and Hans Kozel which were first published in a collection of facade drawings in Saint Petersburg. The buildings and their splendid staircase were renovated in 2000.
Photos and description taken from www.jugendstils.riga.lv