The AKYAN Hotel is located at the intersection of Vosstaniya and Zhukovskogo streets in a famous tenement house, widely known among St. Petersburg residents as the "House of the Sad Angel". The hotel building is a unique mansion dating back to 1906. The tenement house was built according to the design of V.A. Kosyakov, commissioned by Panteleimon Trifonovich Badaev, the warden of the house church at the St. Petersburg Theological Seminary on the Obvodny Canal. He was also an honorary economic supervisor and the owner of several houses.
When Kosyakov developed the plan for the future building, he enlisted his younger brother Georgy to erect the structure. Together with the architect Podberesky, Georgy created the sketches for the decorative embellishments, securing the building's reputation as an architectural masterpiece and a new city landmark. This was even recognized at the World's Fair in Paris in 1907, where Vasily Kosyakov was awarded a silver medal for his work.
The house built by the brothers Vasily and Georgy Kosyakov became a magnificent example of St. Petersburg Art Nouveau. It is one of the first buildings in St. Petersburg to be decorated with majolica. Its exterior features ceramic panels with floral patterns, relief framing, exquisite majolica, friezes, bas-reliefs, and patterned inserts, with a winged female figure crowning the building's gable.
The building's name is associated with an unusual bas-relief on its corner section—the image of a winged female figure with a halo and a celestial sphere depicting the signs of the zodiac, which, according to local belief, protects the house from trouble. It is this "beautiful angel" that became a symbol and a captivating legend, attracting couples in love and newlyweds.
Inside the building, exquisite stucco decorations, mosaic panels, and three original fireplaces have survived—a pink one in the lobby of the AKYAN Hotel, and blue ones in the first and third entrances.
Guests and Residents of the House with the Angel
The plot at 19 Vosstaniya Street was first developed back in the 18th century. Initially, there were wooden structures with a pond, and for some time it was home to Anna Kern, to whom Alexander Pushkin dedicated his famous poem: "I remember a wonderful moment".
In the early 20th century, the owner of the plot was Panteleimon Trifonovich Badaev—an honorary citizen of St. Petersburg and the warden of the seminary's house church. In 1904, he commissioned the architect Vasily Antonovich Kosyakov to build an Art Nouveau tenement house. The building was completed by 1906, and just a year later, Kosyakov was awarded a silver medal at a facade competition in Paris.
Originally, the building contained 29 apartments. Just a few years after construction, the property was expanded with courtyard wings.
The building is notable for its asymmetrical layout: the wing along Zhukovskogo Street is shorter and decoratively simpler, as it housed apartments for less affluent residents, while wealthier families lived in the right wing (along Vosstaniya Street). The largest and most grand apartments were located in the corner section. Yet, fireplaces warmed all the entrances, doormen welcomed guests, and an oak elevator—a true marvel of engineering at the time—operated in one of the main hallways.
At one point, Anna Alexandrovna Vyrubova, a lady-in-waiting to Empress Alexandra Feodorovna, resided in the house.
During the Siege of Leningrad, the building suffered severe damage—one of the upper apartments was destroyed by a German shell. In the post-war years, the house was restored, and for some time, the apartments were rented out as communal housing.
The House with the Angel Today
In 2009, the House of the Angel was officially included in the Unified State Register of Cultural Heritage Sites of Russia. In 2014, following an extensive restoration that turned the building pink, the AKYAN Hotel was opened. Its guests can immerse themselves in the luxurious atmosphere of the Art Nouveau era: the lobby retains its ceiling stucco, ceramic friezes, and mosaic panels, while the staircases are adorned with delicate ironwork featuring floral motifs.
In 2023–2024, the building's facade underwent another restoration, returning it to its historical sandy-gray color, which highlights the elegance and sophistication of its architecture. The decorative elements of the facade were also restored: floral arrangements, hippocampi (mythical creatures with a horse's body and a fish's tail), and the images of the Angel. Additionally, during the cleaning of the Badaev house facade, a red marble plaque inscribed with "ANNO MCMVI." ("YEAR 1906.") was discovered, which had been covered by layers of paint and plaster.
In 2009, the building was included in the Unified State Register of Cultural Heritage Sites of the Peoples of the Russian Federation.
The "House of the Sad Angel" is one of the most striking and recognizable buildings of Northern Art Nouveau in St. Petersburg. The AKYAN Hotel continues the legacy of Badaev's tenement house, creating a space where the past and the present harmoniously intertwine into one.