Ehrlich’s House is one of the jewel of Mykolaiv; it was built in eclectic style, being modern at that time and is located at the address: 20 Spasska street. Eclecticism was criticized at that time and it was not approved as an independent architectural style. But time has shown that at the end of XIX century, when the city was actively developing, eclecticism turned out to be optimal for construction. There are not many monuments in this style left in Mykolayiv, so Ehrlich’s house is an architectural monument of local significance and it requires special attention.
The project and construction belongs to architect Yevhen Shtukenberg. He supervised water supply installation, construction of the first Mariinska women’s gymnasium in Mykolaiv, the Cathedral of the Kasperovska Icon of the Mother of God, Doctor Kenigsberg Balneary. At first glance, a small, one-storey building for merchant Ehrlich can be considered a symbol of trade development in the city in the late XIX - early XX centuries.
The peculiarity of the house is the only rotunda-lantern in the city, with a figure of Mercury, the ancient Roman God of Commerce. It is for this figure of Mercury that Ehrlich’s House is known as the House with Mercury. According to the architect’s project, Mercury embodied commercial courage, business agility and successful communication, which the owner of the house possessed.
The building, being asymmetrical in plan, has four windows in the main façade and an entrance moved into a corner, there is a baroque belvedere (tower) with Mercury above the entrance. Windows and doors are decorated with a lace lattice, various architectural elements. The arches of three middle windows rest on pilasters, the doors are decorated with columns.
The figure of Alexander Ehrlich is no less interesting than the house. He was a son of Ivan Davydovych Ehrlich, the Belgian vice-consul in Mykolaiv, first-guild merchant, honorary citizen, who lived next-door in a house built in the pseudo-Gothic style at the address: 18 Spasska street. After his father has gone abroad, Alexander continued to administer the Belgian vice-consulate and carry on active trade, representing interests of manufacturers from all over the empire in Mykolaiv.
Therefore, a figure of Mercury, the God of Commerce, has reasonably been chosen to decorate the house.
In 1972 the dwelling mansion of XIX century, namely the House with Mercury, was handed over to Mykolaiv Children’s Art School. The creative atmosphere of the school is harmoniously combined with the historical architectural value of the building.
