Gorodetsky Street, one of the most picturesque streets in Kyiv. It was laid out in 1895 on the territory of the Mering estate, which belonged to Professor of Medicine Friedrich Friedrichovich Mering. After his death, his sons decided to sell the estate, and on this site, the Kyiv House Building Society created four new streets: Mykolayivska (now Gorodetsky), Meringivska (now Zankovetska), Nova (now Stanislavsky), and Olhynska, which retained its name. A new Mykolayivska Square was also designed, now known as Franko Square.

Beautiful buildings began to rise on the new streets, but Gorodetsky Street stood out particularly. Here, the luxurious hotel "Continental" was built, the largest circus in Europe, "Hippo-palace" with 2500 seats was opened, and the first modern-style house in Kyiv, "The Cradle of the Spirit," appeared. In 1899, the famous Kyiv contractor Lev Ginzburg decided to build the tallest house in Kyiv on this street to showcase the wealth and capabilities of his company. An interesting story is associated with this house.

Ginzburg invited architect Georgiy Shleifer, who developed the design of the house with towers in the style of "Prague Gothic." When the 6-story house was almost completed in 1900, it turned out that the recently built rental house of Syrotkin at the corner of Volodymyrska and Prorezna, thanks to its corner tower, was taller than Ginzburg had planned. This was unacceptable for the jealous Ginzburg, and Shleifer had to modify the project, coming up with taller towers. As a result, Ginzburg's house on Gorodetsky Street became the tallest in Kyiv by 1900.

Today, the towers are no longer there, but the house still impresses with its beauty and numerous sculptures on the facade. Here you can see Hermes in a winged helmet, the patron of commerce, and the goddess of beauty Aphrodite with a bouquet of flowers. Statues of other gods and elegant stucco work on the facade have been preserved.