Pidhorskyi House (Yaroslaviv Val Street, 1) is one of the most striking apartment buildings in Kyiv from the late 19th century and is often mistakenly referred to as the “Castle of Baron Steinheil.”
The estate was originally formed between 1858 and 1861 as a mansion with a garden. It acquired its current appearance during Kyiv’s construction boom of the 1890s, when its new owner, Mykhailo Pidhorskyi, commissioned engineer Mykola Dobachevskyi to build a four-story apartment house next to the original two-story building.
The lower floors housed shops, cafés, and even the Unikat cinema, while spacious apartments on the upper levels were rented by wealthy residents.
The building’s architecture stands out for its romantic, almost fairy-tale character — combining Romanesque-Gothic and Renaissance elements, sculptural volumes, a gate adorned with winged demons, a mosaic inscription reading Salve, and unique ceremonial staircases.
From the courtyard side, the building rises to seven stories and includes service areas and secondary staircases — a typical feature of Kyiv apartment houses of that era.
After nationalization, it was converted into communal apartments and offices. Today, it holds protected status as a local architectural landmark and remains a recognizable symbol of Yaroslaviv Val Street and Kyiv’s urban mythology.