Chernoglazovskaya Street, which today is named Marshal Bazhanov Street, was still on the outskirts of Kharkiv in the mid-19th century.
Although it was incorporated into the city limits according to the 1822 city plan, its development was slow. This was due to the large plots of land owned by local landlords. One such plot belonged to the Platonov family for over fifty years. On it stood a small stone house, wooden outbuildings, and a large garden, while the owners themselves lived in another house on Skrypnitskaya Street.
The construction boom of the late 19th and early 20th centuries initially bypassed Chernoglazovskaya. However, the demand for rental buildings in the city grew, and large landowners began selling parts of their plots for development. By 1912, State Councillor Roman Lvovich Mirotvortsev and Nadezhda Frantsevna Lezel, daughter of a provincial secretary, transferred part of their courtyard plots on the even-numbered side of the street to Lazar Ovshievich Rosenfeld, a master of pharmacy.
It is often assumed that engineer Mikhail Efimovich Roitenberg was the architect of these buildings — but this is incorrect. His role in the project was entirely different. The actual designer was construction technician Nikolai Zakharovich Kolodyazhny, who, along with his father, a military engineer, designed and built dozens of buildings in Kharkiv.
The project of the four-story buildings with a basement was completed in August 1912 and approved in September of the same year. Rosenfeld, hesitant to start construction in autumn, decided over the winter to change the building volumes. This led to several issues — the buildings were positioned close to the sidewalk, where the architect had planned a row of steps. By the client’s request, the service entrance did not connect to a driveway but to a long passage. The plans were revised: the steps were removed, the passage was finished with non-combustible materials, and its appearance was altered. These adjustments delayed the project, and only in March 1913 were the plans fully approved.
By the time construction began, Rosenfeld and Kolodyazhny were, to say the least, not on good terms. Moreover, a mediator, Rosenfeld’s trustee Albert Golvich, was involved. Endless disputes and financial disagreements led Kolodyazhny to withdraw from supervising the construction. At this point, engineer Mikhail Roitenberg stepped in, taking responsibility for the project on May 10, 1913, signing a contract with Rosenfeld and registering with the technical department of the City Administration.
Interestingly, Rosenfeld eventually could not bear the financial burden of construction and sold the buildings to a certain Lasso, but remained in one of the apartments as a tenant. Engineer Mikhail Roitenberg also rented an apartment in the same building.
By Andrey Paramonov
https://2day.kh.ua/ru/news/progulki-po-kharkovu-doma-rozenfelda-na-chernoglazovskoy-ulice
