"Thousands of Doors of Odessa" is a joint project of Urban Institute, 4City, Architecture of Odessa, which was launched in early February 2019. The goal is to catalogue and restore the City's old doors.
Proactive attention to building elements helps maintain the city's identity.
Konstantin Emelyanov, Founder of the project
During the year the project managed to catalogue more than 250 Odessa buildings, in which more than thousand doors need restoration. Two have already been restored: on Troitskaya, 43-b, the door was installed at the end of November 2019 and on Koblevskaya, 9. Four more are under restoration, 36 have been calculated and are awaiting funding.
We do not deal with windows or balconies, because they are private property and doors are shared. These are more understandable objects, and a huge number of people will be able to see and use them. By the way, many interesting doors are located in the courtyards, even the residents of Odessa have not seen them. Thanks to the catalogue, they are now available to everyone, and their value is obvious.
Konstantin Emelyanov
The pro bono team creates a restoration project, makes an estimate, and works with residents and patrons. According to Yemelyanov, depending on the state of the door, the works are estimated from 1.5 to 3.5 thousand dollars. When residents collect 50% of the required amount and patrons are found for the second half, the restoration process begins.
The city authorities "do not interfere." Although within the framework of the "Public budget" the project for the restoration of old doors in nine Odessa buildings was planned back in 2018, the promised money has not yet been allocated. Some local deputies have announced initiatives to restore the doors.
The team is convinced that with each renovated door, the project will gain momentum.
For the city image, at least the level of the first floor must be preserved. An important issue is the involvement of residents. Before, they didn't even know who to turn to. Now they know.
Konstantin Emelyanov
Source & Photo: 1000 Doors of Odessa
