Riga's Jugendstil GrandeurNo. 10 Alberta iela

Paul Mandelstamm

No. 10, built in 1903, is but one of dozens of buildings across a range of architectural styles which all owe their design to the prolific and talented Paul Mandelstamm (19 September 1872 – 1941) (Latvian: Pauls Mandelštams).

Mandelstamm was born in Kovno Governorate in present-day Lithuania (then part of the Russian Empire). He studied both architecture and civil engineering at Riga Polytechnic Institute (today Riga Technical University) and graduated in 1892. He worked on the construction of the first electric tram line in Riga in 1900–1901, and supervised the construction of waterworks in the city in 1903–1904. He designed some 50 to 70 buildings in the city, initially in an Eclectic style, but later in Jugendstil and later still in Functionalist style. 1

He was tragically shot to death in Riga in 1941, during the Holocaust in Nazi-occupied Latvia.2

Additional Reading

• A brief history of the building - a look back to Art Nouveau, regarding another building designed by Mandelstamm and including a brief biography.

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Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10 (perspective-corrected)

Alberta Street Nr. 10 (perspective-corrected)

Alberta Street Nr. 10 (perspective-corrected)

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10

Alberta Street Nr. 10 (detail, cropped)

Alberta Street Nr. 10 (detail, cropped)

Alberta Street Nr. 10 (detail, cropped)