In Lviv, a resident unauthorisedly adds a floor to a landmark building: the city has appealed to law enforcement agencies
In Lviv, the owner of three apartments located on the top floor of a landmark building at 36 Tuhan-Baranovskoho Street began to illegally convert the common attic and add another floor. I
The process was reported to the Lviv City Council.
The relevant violation was discovered the day before by employees of the Lychakiv District Council and the Hospodar utility company. An appeal was immediately sent to the prosecutor’s office. The city also issued an order to stop the work and demanded that the unscrupulous owner restore the architectural monument to its previous condition.
“On 29 November 2024, during an inspection of house No. 36 on Tugan-Baranovskoho Street, adjacent to the Eurohotel, representatives of the Department of Historic Environment Protection, Hospodar and the Lychakiv District Administration recorded unauthorised construction work. It was a reconstruction of the attic, which is a common area, with a superstructure.
It is likely that these works were initiated by Yulia Mashtaler, the owner of three apartments in the building. Two weeks earlier, an application for approval to replace the roof of the monument had been sent to the Department of Historic Environment. However, no permits were granted.
As a result, we recorded the destruction of communal property (13 square metres), issued an order to stop the illegal work and are preparing materials for the court,” said Yevhen Boyko, manager of the executive committee of the Lviv City Council.
According to Marianna Moroz, deputy head of the Lviv City Council’s Department of Historic Environment Protection, on 18 November they received an application from the owner of three apartments on the top floor, Oleh Mashtaler, for permission to carry out major repairs to the roof without any changes to the architectural or structural elements of the building. Despite the fact that the application is still under consideration by the department, unauthorised works on the building’s floor have begun. In particular, the roof has been removed and the attic is being redeveloped.
Yesterday, an offsite meeting was held there with representatives of the Department of Historic Environment Protection, Lychakiv District Council, the building’s balance sheet holder, and the Department of Communal Property, as part of the attic space is owned by the city and is currently rented by one of the building’s residents. The patrol police and the investigative team were also called to the scene. The owner of the apartments did not provide access to the attic, but it was found that the illegal work was ongoing.
“House No. 36 on Tuhan-Baranovskoho Street is an architectural monument of local significance and is located within the historical area of Lviv. Therefore, any construction work without permits is prohibited. We issued an order to stop the unauthorised works and drew up an administrative offence report against the owner. The city’s position is clear – the monument must be restored to its previous appearance,” said Marianna Moroz.
The four-storey residential building at 36 Tuhan-Baranovskoho Street is a striking example of functionalist architecture. It was built in 1938 for the Shpatts family by Ryszard Hermelin. By the way, the house is located next to the Eurohotel building.