Institute of Art History of the Latvian Academy of Art Anna Ancāne ...

common in a geographically vast area in the 2 nd half of the 17 th century; it
is illustrated by the versions of the French architect Pierre Le Muet and
the rich but restrained solutions of burghers’ houses by Nicolaus
Goldmann.
IV. 4. Front-gabled houses
Part of the front-gabled houses on the narrow building plots were rebuilt
and survived in the Baroque Riga, retaining the walled-up windows of
Gothic niches; their pyramidal rhythms coincided with the silhouettes of
Baroque lines. The gabled façade often featured two or three symmetrical
windows on different floor levels. Several front-gabled houses have been
preserved in Riga – at 20 and 22 Lielā Pils Street, 8 and 12 Jāņa Street,
17/19 Mazā Pils Street. In 1823 similar gables were found at 4 Krāmu
Street, 6/8 Mūku Street, on the corner of Monētu and Šķūņu Streets etc. A
typical example of a front-gabled house was the building at present 4
Mārstaļu Street with four massive buttresses on the cornice level.
Analogies to the Northern German examples, like those in Wismar,
testify to a quite ancient type of dwelling house.
A large part of front-gabled houses in urban architecture was storehouses.
They were especially concentrated around Alksnāja, Peitavas, Miesnieku
and Vecpilsētas Streets.
IV. 5. Side-gabled houses
This group is the largest by numbers, as it reflects the average level of
construction and not all objects were of equally high artistic quality. The
average functional architecture was often far removed from original
impulses, in addition, stylistic influences often overlapped. The main
indications of change were found in layouts, façade proportions and
composition of windows. The lacking risalits and pediments were
replaced by symmetrical or nearly symmetrical façade with corner
rustication, wide windows and a representative portal. Instead of the
colossal order pilasters many were content with a smooth, plastered
façade. Examples were at 16 Mārstaļu Street, 24 Jauniela, 12 Aldaru
Street, 21 Peldu Street etc. The composition of three windows was very
wide-spread, for instance, at 24 and 26 Smilšu Street. More wealthy
citizens bought their neighbours’ building plots and acquired more up-todate
houses, uniting two front-gabled buildings (at 22 Grēcinieku Street,
6 Audēju Street). Practical concerns often caused deviations from the
symmetry of facades (at 20 Smilšu Street). A tendency to change the
directions of roof slopes and to use the old structure of walls to the
maximum is evident in the building at 10 Audēju Street that was rebuilt
in the 2 nd half of the 17 th century. Its construction history manifests a
typical transformation process leading to the Baroque side-gabled house.
A building has been mentioned at Svērtuves (Šāļu) Street, built “after the
fire of 1677”. All buildings within the district had either two and a half or
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