No photographer can pass by this ancient building on the former Voznesensky Avenue. However, even those far from the world of cameras will find Metenkov House interesting. The estate appeared in the 19th century and became famous thanks to the renowned Ural photographer whose name now adorns the mansion. Today, it houses the only photography museum in the Sverdlovsk region.

This old estate...

The building that now decorates the streets of Yekaterinburg was marked on the city map in 1825. Its first owner was priest Nikolai Miloradov, who served at the Church of St. Catherine. In 1856, he built a wooden-stone mansion on this site, surrounded by a garden with flower beds and lawns.

Fourteen years later, the house acquired a new owner, Nikolai Barkhatov, a descendant of a merchant family from Krasnoufimsk. In 1882, he modified the estate, adding a second floor and a balcony, and adorned the windows with patterned trim. Barkhatov sought to make his residence as beautiful as possible, as it was located in a prestigious area near the Public Assembly Club, where celebrations were often held. Carriages passed by on the street, from which elegantly dressed ladies and gentlemen emerged, hurrying to balls and exhibitions.

Barkhatov wanted to continue transforming the estate, but construction dragged on, and in 1895 he decided to sell the house. The mansion was purchased by Evdokia Metenkova, who had recently married the famous photographer Veniamin Leontievich. The funds for the purchase were provided by her sister, Tatiana Ozhegova, a midwife from Yekaterinburg.

Just a year later, the new owner conducted renovations, and on the first floor, the "Warehouse of Photographic Supplies E.V. Metenkova" appeared. Two years later, the estate underwent reconstruction again, designed by architect Yuli Osipovich Dyutel. A photo studio with a pavilion, adorned with glass stained glass, was added to the house. A special incline allowed for clear shots. Above the building hung a sign: "Photography L.V. Metenkova," which determined the fate of the building.

A Fan of His Craft

Veniamin Leontievich Metenkov was born in 1857 in Miass to a leatherworker's family. In the early 1870s, his father moved the family to Moscow, where they attended the All-Russian Industrial Exhibition and took their first photograph in a studio. Veniamin was amazed and decided to become a photographer.

In 1875, he began studying under Polish photographers while also working as a clerk at the Kochkarsky gold mine. A year later, he started doing artistic photo portraits, which began to bring in income. He traveled around the Miass area, photographing gold miners.

Five years later, Metenkov opened his first photo studio, and two years after that, he was accepted into the Russian Technical Society.

In 1883, he arrived in Yekaterinburg and opened a studio on Voznesensky Avenue, 22, where he worked until acquiring the nearby estate.

In Yekaterinburg, Metenkov not only photographed the city's sights and people but also constructed photographic equipment. He established direct supplies of modern equipment from European companies such as "Carl Zeiss," "Goerz," and "Kodak."

Thanks to the new technology, Metenkov became the first in the Urals to take portraits with artificial lighting. He applied stereophotography, which brought him fame. Wealthy clients were plentiful.

In his free time, Metenkov traveled, always taking his camera with him. He photographed everything he saw and published postcards. His album with Ural and Yekaterinburg landscapes has survived to this day.

Metenkov participated in international and Russian exhibitions and amassed a large library of professional literature.

Interesting fact: Metenkov's shop employees gifted him a cake in the shape of his house.

The 20th Century, An Era of New Days

In the 1900s, the first floor of the estate housed a store and warehouse for photographic goods. The second floor contained living quarters: a living room, children's room, bathroom, and toilet. The house was heated by a stove, and there was a garden with a gazebo and an ice storage pit in the yard.

In 1916, the trade in photographic goods became profitable, but income from photographs declined. The Metenkovs dismantled the glass pavilion, replacing it with living rooms and a viewing hall. The windows on the first floor became display cases, and the mansion was adorned with wrought iron gates.

Interesting fact: in the early 20th century, Metenkov's mansion was a model of architecture, combining several styles, including classicism and modernism.

In 1919, the Metenkov family moved to Tomsk, but two years later returned to Yekaterinburg and found that the house had been confiscated by the new authorities.

The family settled with a relative on Krasnoarmeyskaya Street. Metenkov searched for work for a long time and eventually became a copier and photographer at "Ural Book," later managing a store at "Sovkino."

The estate also changed. The street was renamed Karl Liebknecht Street, and the building changed several owners. It housed a military enlistment office, a city utility service, an evacuation point, an agitation department, and a photo laboratory. From 1923, it was a tuberculosis dispensary, and later, the therapeutic department of the tuberculosis institute.

Interesting fact: in the 1920s, the house was home to Professor Karnaukhov and other medical professionals, and it also housed the local trade union of actors from the Music Comedy Theater.

In 1982, the building was occupied by the construction management of the newspaper "Ural Worker," and in 1989, by the academic service for material and technical support. Rumors of the building's demolition for parking arose, but this was avoided. In 1991, the authorities of Yekaterinburg recognized Metenkov House as a historical monument.

A Museum in the Photographer's Estate!

In 1993, the only photography museum in the Urals opened in the estate. In December, the first exhibition "Reception of the Photo Studio" was launched.

Since 1998, "Metenkov House" has been a branch of the historical museum of Yekaterinburg. Its collection includes over 10,000 exhibits, including books, equipment, magazines, postcards, and photographs. Here, one can learn about the development of photographic art in the Sverdlovsk region and the biography of the famous photographer, as well as purchase souvenirs.

Today, the museum has become an art space in Yekaterinburg, hosting lectures, exhibitions, master classes, theatrical performances, and creative meetings. Multimedia experiments and international projects are carried out here.

In 2016, a residency "New Stories of Yekaterinburg" for photo artists was established in the house.