Konstantīns Pēkšēns

No. 121 owes its design to Konstantīns Pēkšēns. Eižens Laube, Pēkšēns' student at the time, assisted in the project.

It has a number of prominently projecting risalitas, bay windows, balconies, loggias2, gables, a corner tower and massive entrance portals. The style can best be descibed as an homage to national romanticism. Architectural forms include ornamental reliefs of stylized native plant and animal motifs—cones, needles, squirrels. Apartment windows feature stained glass windows depicting exotic plants. The stairwell features a winding staircase with paintings on the ceiling above. Until 1907 the ground floor contains Pēkšēns personal apratment and workshop. The fifth floor is the painter Janis Rozentāls; and writer Rudolfs Blaumanis' apartment. The museum includes the loft built for the artist's workshop. Rozentāls was the most prominent artist of the Jugendstil period in Latvia. He lived and worked here from 1904 to 1915. The workshop is an authentic representation of the atmosphere of the time.

Some brief biographical detail regarding Plēkšēns:

  • Born 1859, in the Valmiera district, Mazsalaca parish.
  • 1869, his family moves to live in Rīga.
  • 1869-1875, attended R. Vaļļa elementary school.
  • Studied at the Rīga Polytechnicum, (1878—1879: engineering. 1880—1885: architecture).
  • 1886, established his own architectural practice; prior to this he worked for J F. Baumanis' practice.
  • At the turn of the century, established a central heating construction firm.
  • 1928, died in Germany, where he had traveled for medical treatment. Buried in Meža kapi, Woodland Cemetary in Rīga.

Links

  • The Rīga Jugendstil Museum is among the newest museums in Latvia, opened April 23, 2009. It includes the apartment of Konstantīns Pēkšēns (1859–1928), where he lived until 1907.
    • No. 12 Alberta iela — The Rīga Jugendstil Museum, Alberta iela 12, Rīga, LV 1010, Tel. +371 67181465, E-mail: jugendstils@riga.lv
  • The Jānis Rozentāls and Rūdolfs Blaumanis museum was established in 1973. It inhabits Apartment #9, where Jānis Rozentāls (1866–1916) and his lifelong companion, the Finnish singer Ellija Forsele (1871–1943) lived from 1904 to 1915.
    • Tel. +371 67331641 or +371 29286751, E-mail: jrrbm@memorialiemuzeji.lv, Hours: 11:00–18:00, closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

1Materials here adapted from www.redzet.lv/code/R-Alberta12-01-14/view/Alberta_iela_12%2C_R%C4%ABga and www.jugendstils.riga.lv/lat/JugendstilsRiga/peksens/alberta012/ (in Latvian).
2A covered exterior gallery or corridor
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