In Lviv, the restoration of the wooden gate of the main entrance to the tenement house of Doctor of Medicine Mechyslav Teodorovych at 7 Arkhitektorska Street has been completed. The work was carried out under the municipal co-financing programme for the restoration of valuable elements of historic buildings, under which residents paid 30% of the cost. This was reported by the LKP “Heritage Bureau”.
During the restoration, specialists uncovered the authentic timber finish, reinstated the historic appearance of the gate, removed later inappropriate interventions, restored the metal fittings and glazing, and also recreated missing elements. A photo collage shows the difference between the condition of the gate before work began and after professional restoration.
The “Heritage Bureau” notes that the gate is a characteristic element of the building: it consists of double-leaf wooden doors with an internal vestibule and two massive fanlights, positioned one above the other. Despite the preserved structure, its technical condition required intervention: the timber was significantly damaged by weathering and previous repairs, the lower parts of the doors had material losses, the structure was weakened, and numerous layers of paint completely concealed the original appearance.
The restoration was carried out by Lviv restorer Maksym Chornyi. One of the key outcomes was the uncovering of the historic paint-and-varnish layer, which made it possible to recreate the gate’s distinctive external appearance. Excessive paint build-up, which distorted the look and prevented the timber from “breathing”, was carefully removed.
During the work, many extraneous interventions accumulated over decades were also discovered. Inappropriate metal elements, remnants of old fixings, numerous cut-ins for locks and other accretions that had damaged the historic fabric of the doors were removed from the structure.
A separate block of work concerned the glazing. The authentic bevelled glass had previously been replaced with ordinary glass, and some elements were damaged or missing. As part of the restoration, these shortcomings were remedied and the integrity of the historic structure’s appearance was reinstated.
After cleaning, all wooden parts underwent biocidal and fire-retardant treatment. Restorers reinforced weakened areas, reinstated missing fragments and strengthened structural joints. New inserts were made with regard to the historic material and toned so that they would blend harmoniously with the authentic elements.
An important part of the project was the restoration of the metal fittings: historic hinges, fixings and other details were cleaned of paint and corrosion, conserved and coated with a protective layer that will extend their service life.
After all stages were completed, the gate structure was reassembled, a linseed oil-based protective coating was applied, and the surface was varnished and waxed. This not only restored its historic appearance, but also provided additional protection against further deterioration.
The report cites two different figures for the total cost of the work — 132 990 UAH and 126 006 UAH, which creates a discrepancy in the data. At the same time, it is specified that residents contributed 39 897 UAH, and 93 093 UAH was financed from the “Art Nouveau as a New EUtopia” programme.
It should be recalled that, in Lviv, a co-financing programme for the restoration of doors and windows in buildings within the city’s historic area is in place until 2029. In 2025, within this initiative, nine gates in the historic part of Lviv were restored jointly with residents on Hrushevskoho, Ostrianytsi, K. Levytskoho, I. Franka, Voronoho, Sheptytskykh, Kubiiovycha, Drukarska and Konovaltsia Streets, as well as ten windows and balcony doors at five addresses. In addition, a further six windows with balcony units were replaced from plastic to wooden.