House with Elephants (Golovkin's Dacha)

The House with Elephants, the former dacha of Konstantin Golovkin at 292 Sovetskoy Armii Street in Samara, is an architectural monument and a cultural heritage site of Russia. The house was built in the Art Nouveau style in 1908-1909; Golovkin himself worked on it together with architect Valentin Vladimirovich Tepfer.

Architecture and sculptures

The dacha was created in an unusual way: Golovkin took an active part in the design and sculpted the ornamental elements himself, including the famous elephants in front of the house's facade and a female sculpture by the south facade, reworking the models painstakingly until he reached the result he wanted. The house stands out among typical Russian buildings of the early 20th century and shows the influence of the Vienna Secession.

History of the building

After the revolution the Golovkin family left Samara, and the dacha passed to the new authorities. At different times it housed a hospital, a kindergarten and a club. In 1929 the dacha was handed to the Vodokanal water utility, which used the building as a club; repair work and the installation of central heating damaged the building's structure and interior. During the Soviet period it was reconstructed, which changed the house's appearance, and the carefully designed artistic interior was lost.

Restoration

Restoration work aimed at recovering the building's original look began in 2021. It was completed in 2024: the restored complex had its formal opening on 7 September 2024. The building now houses the "ArkhSlon" school of young architects at Samara State Technical University and a museum (according to Wikipedia).

Despite the various legends associated with this place, the house remains an important cultural heritage site of interest to historians, architecture enthusiasts and tourists.