In Lviv, restoration has been completed on the historic wooden gateway of the building at 14 Yevhena Konovaltsia Street. During the works, the original appearance of the entrance was reinstated, lost decorative and functional elements were returned, the authentic lock was preserved and, at the same time, the gateway was adapted to the contemporary needs of residents. The work was carried out by craftsman Bohdan Herus within the city’s co-financing programme for the restoration of valuable elements in historic buildings, under which residents covered 30% of the cost.
According to LKP “Bureau of Heritage”, before restoration the gateway was in an unsatisfactory aesthetic condition: the wooden surfaces were covered with numerous layers of old Soviet-era paint, the end of the stop bead was partially damaged, the historic latch was missing, and the fanlight above the door had undergone unprofessional repairs. At the same time, the original mechanical lock had survived.
While studying the structure, the craftsman determined what the original glazing of the gateway had been. It turned out that the metal grilles, which for a long time covered the glazed sections, were not part of the initial design: no traces of their original installation were found on the wooden elements. Instead, beneath the layers of paint, substantial self-tapping screws were discovered, which had once secured wooden glazing beads to hold the glass in place. This made it possible to recreate the authentic glazing without the later metal grilles.
Particular emphasis was placed on restoring lost details. Based on prepared drawings, a new latch was made, the damaged end of the stop bead was recreated, and the geometry of the wooden leaves was corrected, allowing the gateway to function properly once again.
The historic structure was also combined with modern technical solutions. The engineering components of the electromagnetic lock were concealed inside the wooden leaf so as not to disturb the authentic appearance. At the same time, the original mechanical lock was brought back into working order, so that residents can use it in the event of a power cut.
The total cost of the restoration came to 127 281 UAH. Of this amount, 8 184 UAH was paid by the building’s residents, and 89 097 UAH was funded by the Eberhard Schöck Foundation.
Until 2029, Lviv is implementing a Co-financing Programme for the restoration of doors and windows in buildings within the city’s historic area, overseen by LKP “Bureau of Heritage”. In 2025, in the historic part of Lviv, nine gateways were restored in cooperation with residents at the following addresses: 20 Hrushevskoho Street; 12 Ostrianytsi Street; 16 K. Levytskoho Street; 3 I. Franka Street; 5 Voronoho Street; 44 Sheptytskykh Street; 25 Kubiiovycha Street; 11 Drukarska Street and 29 Konovaltsia Street. Ten windows and balcony doors were also refurbished at five addresses, and six plastic windows with balcony units were replaced with wooden ones at three addresses.