Walk in Search of Street Art

tatdt (65)in Photography • 3 years ago

For years I used to walk along the facade of house number 50 on Ligovsky Prospect and had no idea that behind the most commonplace arch with iron gates there is not an ordinary city yard, but a vast territory with rows of one- and two-storey houses made of red bricks. All these buildings were built in the second half of the 19th century to house the warehouses of the Northern Insurance Society. The society was liquidated after the revolution, but even after that event the buildings continued to be used for their intended purpose.

Then something changed, the renters moved out, the buildings emptied. About fifteen years ago, the entrance to this area was suddenly open. I had strong impressions from my first visit: the buildings stood abandoned, with broken windows and empty doorways.

Of course, a place like this in the center of the city couldn't stay empty for long. Bars, rehearsal spots, small stores, offices, workshops — the makeup of today's tenants is very motley. The buildings have been renovated, but there are still plenty of vacant walls that could serve as canvases for urban street art.