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Mayor's office
From 2odessa.com The most comprehensive guide to Odessa, Ukraine
  Photo by Galen Frysinger  Photo from ediogo196 at virtualtourist.com | ||||||||||||
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Mayor's office
Doomskaya Square 1 (Думская Площадь)
The mayor's office was built from 1829 to 1834, designed by Franz Karlowicz Boffo in Russian classic style. Formerly this square was called the Birzhevaya because this building housed Odessa's first stock exchange.[1]
The architect Franz Osipovich Morandi (Франциск [Франц Осипович] Моранди) redesigned and repaired the office from the war from 1871-1873.[1]
Formerly the building had two wings at either end of the central part, forming an open courtyard. It was separated from the square by a double line of Corinthian columns. Later this courtyard was closed in by a wall to create a grand entrance hall, which can still be seen in the entrance. Later another wing facing the sea was added.
When the stock exchange was moved in 1899 to the location of today's Philharmonic Theater, the city authorities used this building, renaming the building Doomskaya (city council).[1]
On January 14th, 1918, the Soviet revolution proclaimed victory in this building.[1]
The night before, January 13th, Soviet revolutionaries had seized the railway station, the Odessa military headquarters, telegraph, telephone exchanges, and other major office in the city.
At dawn on January 15th, the government tried to crush this revolution. After two days of fierce fighting, on January 17th, all government resistance was crushed.
Recently, this building was the site of the climax to a long running dispute between the regional chairman and the mayor. The dispute ended on May 28, 1997, when a platoon of black berets armed with automatic rifles and search warrants took over Odessa City Hall in a dawn raid. (For more on this event, see Odessa after independence)
Construction
Every half-hour, the clock above the entrance chimes the melody "Odessa my town" (the same tune greeting incoming trains at the train station). This is from the operetta "White Acacia" by the Soviet composer Isaac Dunayevsky.[1]
Two female sculptures
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Above the railing on the roof are the two female sculptures "Day" and "Night" representing the passage of time.
Entrance
Steps the entire width of the colonnade lead to the entrance. Above the door is displayed Odessa's coat of arms, a four pronged anchor with a red background.
To the left of the entrance is a golden plaque, underneath the Ukrainian trident it reads:
 | Ukraine.
Odessa City Council. The Executive Committee |  |
Alcoves
| In alcoves flanking the stairs on either side are two statues by the sculptor Luigi (Luidzhi) Iorini (Луиджи Иорини) installed into the facade when the building was remodeled in 1871-1873.[1][2][3]
Iorini (1817-1911) was born in Florence. Iorini studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Milan (Академии изящных искусств в Милане). He was part of the Garibaldi revolutionary movement. Iorini arrived in Odessa from Milan in 1867. In addition to these alcoves, Iorini also designed the lions head above the entrance to the Scientist's Club. His student was Boris Eduards (Edwards) (Борис Эдуардс), the founder of the Sculpture School.[3][2][1] There is a bust of Iorini at Grekova art school (Preobrazhenskaya 14/16).[2] |  |  |
The early governors
The most influencial early governors of Novarussia (new Russia) and Odessa
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| Duke Armand Emmanual Richelieu | Count Louis Alexandre Andrault de Langeron | Mikhail S. Vorontsov |
| 1803 (City chief) 1805 (Governor general) to 1814 | January 1, 1816 to 1820 (City chief) 1822 (Governor general) | 1823 to 1844 Governor general of Novorossiia |
For a detailed list of all of the early governors of Novarussia and Odessa's early mayors see Odessa's leaders.
Public Toilet
 | Public Toilet On the North lower side of the building (facing the sea) is a pay toilet. This is reached by walking past the Crimean War Cannon and down the path to the right. |
Historic photos
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Photos
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Construction on August 22 2007, in preparation of Odessa's 213 birthday, September 2. |
Sign to the toilet next to the mayor's office |
W.C. sign in the distance |
Entrance to the toilets |
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g Kononova, G. (1984). Odessa: A Guide. Moscow: Raduga Publishers. p. 58-61.
- ^ a b c Slovo Newspaper www.paco.net/odessa/media/odessa/0997/30.htm (In Russian--Use this Google translate, or alternatively, babelfish)
- ^ a b Slovo Newspaper www.paco.net/odessa/media/word/253/sn797.htm (In Russian--Use this Google translate, or alternatively, babelfish)
External links
Continue your virtual tour by walking to the Crimean War Cannon
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