The name of the famous Soviet director Sergei Mikhailovich Eisenstein is widely known due to his outstanding films. However, few know about his father, Mikhail Osipovich, who was an outstanding architect of the pre-revolutionary era and made a significant contribution to the architectural appearance of old imperial Riga.

Mikhail Osipovich was born in 1867 into a prosperous Jewish family, converted to Orthodoxy, and received a technical education. After graduating from the capital's Institute of Civil Engineers, he worked in Riga in a well-paid position.

In 1894, he was drafted into the army, where he served for nine years in various artillery brigades and Red Cross units. After completing his military service with the rank of reserve ensign, he returned to civilian life.

Many years of successful state service earned him the high rank of actual state councilor, which granted him the right to hereditary nobility.

In addition to his work in public service, Mikhail Osipovich actively engaged in designing buildings and constructed several dozen houses in Riga in the style of Russian Art Nouveau. This was his favorite pastime. He was also an avid theatergoer and adorned the walls of buildings with images of opera singers. Mikhail Osipovich spoke several European languages and collected prestigious men's shoes.

In his personal life, he initially married for convenience to the wealthy heiress Yulia Konezkaya, but this marriage soon fell apart. He married for the second time at an older age in Berlin, where he ended up after the revolutions. Unlike his son, Mikhail Osipovich did not accept the Bolshevik regime and passed away in exile in 1920.