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made of roofing iron . Kallistratov studied his specialty in Switzerland , hence the logical attraction to Western examples of architecture . This is most clearly seen in the design of the Astoria Hotel .
The new building was supposed to be equipped at the best level for that time - with a restaurant , electric lighting , showers and bathrooms , electric lift machines . We must pay tribute to the courage of those who participated in the financing of construction ( among them the Germans E . Borel and A . Bender ), which was conducted in the atmosphere of national-chauvinistic hysteria that unfolded during the First World War , which greatly slowed down and complicated the course of construction work .
A rare unity , relevance of each detail and fragments in the general composition , lines of ornament taken by the author from the early buildings of the colonists . In clear lines , in a solemn rhythm and the majestic silhouette of the building of the hotel “ Astoria ” the last rhyme of the ballad of immigrants is created by the hands of wonderful masters .
The Astoria building is one of the most significant and famous buildings in Saratov ( Figure 5 ). It is a compositional accent of the pedestrian street of the center . The project was carried out in a neo-Gothic style with notes of rational Art Nouveau . The rational beginning lies in a clear constructive basis , expressed in the frequent rhythm of the pylons , dividing the facade vertically . Gothic features found expression in the unusual form of tent coverings of bay windows , spiky attics , in sculptures of knights and starting messengers on the roof of the building . The rhythm of the pylons can also be attributed to Gothic motifs , as they look somewhat similar to buttresses .
Fig . 5 - The Astoria Hotel
The facade composition has a tiered construction . The first floor is designed as a solid front window , the second and third floors are taken forward from the plane of the facade . Vertical articulations are organized hierarchically : the first level is formed by the verticals of three bay windows , the second – by supporting pylons of the frame , the third - intermediate pylons in the walls , with a light metal fence . The central trapezoidal bay window hangs over the loggia of the second floor , stretches to the next three and ends with a high tent with a cut off top . The octagonal tent rests on a drum formed by eight radially spaced pylons . The walls between the ribs of the bay window and the drum have triangular ends at the top , overlapping with ceilings above the attic windows . Bay windows on the side of the facade , rectangular in plan , start from the second floor and reach the open gallery of the fourth , ending with a terrace . Instead of the bay window , on the last two floors moved inside , there are only two massive pylons lying at its base . The wall between the pylons , cut through by large windows , has the same triangular completion . Pylons protrude above the roof plane and carry an octagonal tent cover with a cut top .
The facade decor is very restrained : shallow niches under the windows , vertical grooves on the pylons , cloves under the cornice . The sculptures that complete the pylons of the bay windows are particularly interesting . In the central part , these are figures of knights leaning on swords , on the side bay windows - figures of starting messengers . The sculptures of knights on the hotel roof symbolize the guards guarding the peace of the guests resting , and the young men standing in the starting position next to the knights indicate the messengers who are ready to rush towards the tired guests in order to meet them and help carry heavy luggage to the room .
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