bg Sofia

Kosta Balabanov House

- Graf Ignatiev Street 2 -
The three-story residential and commercial building, also known by the name the House of the Titans, was built in 1914. This is another great design by the Bulgarian architect and sculptor Richard Hardy. It was built for the manufacturer Kosta Ivanchov Balabanov as a home and a profitable building. He was born in 1855, in the city of . Together with his brother Todor Ivanchov Balabanov, they won a concession for the exploitation of the forests around the .
Тоdоr Іvаn Ваlаbаnоv
Here the son of Toder, Ivan Todorov Balabanov, developed a factory called the Bulgarian Forest Wood Industry and built the narrow-gauge railway, connecting Kocherinovo station with the Rila Monastery, which operated until 1960.
Тоdоr's son Ivan Todorov Balabanov
The building is built in the style of Neo-Baroque and contains two , which are carrying the central . The oval window in between the atlantes, as well as the bottoms of all three of the oriel windows, are decorated with garlands. The only difference between the three oriel windows is that the one in the center has rounded corners, while the other two have sharp ones. The , to which the are decorated, contains an egg shaped form in them. The , which are surrounded by floral ornamentation, are placed above some of the windows on the second floor. Above the other windows, you'll be able to see a female instead of a cartouche. Underneath the windows, which are located in between the oriel windows, you'll see a small balcony, which is secured with a wrought iron railing. The windows on the third floor are surrounded by beautiful detailed floral ornamentation. On the fourth floor, you can see an with a stone balustrade, which contains the same as the balconies on the fifth floor. The columns and that are holding up these balconies are crowned with an Ionic .
The building is visible in an old photo