“We want other cities to work according to our concept”: how masters restore historic doors in Odesa

What is the problem?

Despite the historical value of the old buildings of Odesa, the wooden doors of these buildings are under threat. Some of these doors have already been lost, and some are not in the best condition. The historical wooden doors of the city are losing their beauty due to improper care. In particular, the canopies designed to protect them from moisture are disappearing above them. Therefore, replacing them with more modern iron ones is popular among city residents. However, despite its practicality, this replacement leads to the fact that the buildings lose their unique elements, which are also part of Odesa's cultural code.

What is the solution?

In 2019, the project Thousands of Doors of Odesa was launched on the initiative of Kostiantyn Yemelyanov. Then, this was prompted by the situation with the doors of the architectural monument at 43b Troitska Street — due to their poor condition, the city simply decided to throw them away. Yemelyanov found a solution and opened a workshop where restorers restore the historic doors of Odesa. The door at Troitska 43b was saved. During their activity, masters have already restored 19 doors, and the team now consists of 10 people. Such a workshop is the first in the city.

The project is implemented thanks to donations from those who care, patrons, residents of buildings whose doors are being restored by masters, and international support from the European Union. The latter is the basis for project activity. Rubryka spoke with Yemelyanov, the head of the workshop, Oleksandr Levytskyi, and the project's technical manager, Kostiantyn Krayev, and learned how the restoration workshop operates.

How does it work?

Residents of buildings in Odesa whose doors date back to 1917 or earlier can apply for the project. For this, there is a special form on the website in which you need to enter data about the house, the location of the door, and the necessary work: restoration, reproduction of the door according to the photo, or restoration of any historical door in the place of the lost on.

As Levytskyi, head of the restoration workshop Thousands of Doors of Odesa, explains, on average, door restoration takes a month, but depending on the complexity of the work, it can vary and last longer.

According to Levytskyi, the time of work varies — sometimes, the restoration lasts for two months, but once, it took the team about five months to work with one very complex oak door.

Four craftsmen are usually involved in the restoration, working eight hours five times a week. Sometimes, they can go to work on Saturday but for a few hours just to finish the project. The team uses the same materials from which the original doors were made for restoration. Usually, craftsmen work with larch, calling it "almost pine" because it is denser than pine and lighter than oak. Oak doors that need restoration are rather rare, masters say.

The work is worth it: "When the restored door is put in place, and we see how well it turned out, we breathe a sigh of relief. These moments are inspiring. There was even a case where the building resident kissed the restored doors after installing and said: 'Finally, we have waited for your return,"' says Kostiantyn Kraev, technical manager of the Thousands of Doors of Odesa project.

Levytskyi says that he receives many applications from Odesa residents about the restoration. So far, there are dozens of doors in the line. It is impossible to take on all the doors simultaneously in the workshop, so the team is forced to choose and prioritize. They pay attention not only to the door's age but also to the aesthetic component — Levytskyi says that masters are interested in working with different styles, so they try to alternate them in their work. No less important is the interest of the house's residents with historical doors and the purely practical aspect — whether the doors will fit in the workshop. After all, sometimes, the full height of the door, together with the viewing window, is more than four meters.

The head of the workshop adds that by restoring doors, the initiative seeks to become an example for others — to inspire the residents of Odesa's historic buildings to make changes and to show that preserving historic doors is possible. And also — to attract the attention of patrons who would be ready to support the preservation of the city's cultural heritage.

For craftsmen, it is important that almost all house residents are interested in the restoration of the door. As a rule, only one person needs this, and the team wants to work when all residents are interested. This can only be documented, so we have protocols for them to fill out and vote for restoration. 100% of the residents should be in favor. Next, the team draws up relevant acts of dismantling, requests, and other documents.

Krayev says that restoration work always begins with an on-site door inspection. In this way, masters assess their condition and can understand what exactly needs to be done. If the door is badly damaged and cannot be restored, the masters instead make a copy of the door, preserving its uniqueness and appearance.

In the workshop, there are doors with damaged or missing elements. Krayev points to them and explains: "Here, on this part of the door, there used to be an element that looked like a shell, something like that. The detail was very decorative and beautiful — now you can see a little outline of this element."

The head of the restoration workshop adds that the team has access to the archive of the historical and architectural project Architecture of Odesa, where he is the founder. They look for the right door in the catalog and look at decorative elements. This is how they find the necessary parts for restoration, even if the original ones have long been lost, and reproduce them. As a rule, this applies to the decor itself. If it is impossible to find the desired element in the archive, then the artisans create it themselves, guided by the style of the door.

Levytskyi says that in places of loss, artisans pay attention to the fact that the restoration insert coincides with the main structure of the door frame. In addition, the sashes on the door frame are being restored on the spot. They also repair slopes that are damaged during dismantling. Thanks to this, the final result becomes complete and harmonious.

After restoration, the door is covered with protective coat: the first layer is azure, which protects the wood from ultraviolet rays, and the second layer is oil, which protects against microorganisms. Then, the finished structure is returned to the place where it is rubbed with polish and wax, adding texture and a certain dimension to the door.

"Each door has its own problems, so I can't choose difficulties common to all. Each door is unique. I can't single out something common or the most difficult for everyone," Yemelyanov admits.

Levytskyi recalls a special case — the door at 5 Sadova. Then, the housing and communal services employees sawed it in half and were going to throw it away. These doors spent several years in the workshop. Later, they were restored and returned to their place.

The head of the restoration workshop adds that not only rain, snow, and people kicking to open the doors negatively affect their condition — street cats also contribute to the deterioration of the city's historic doors.

"We put brass inserts on the restored doors to protect the wood from these irritants. But the cats pee on them, and they start to turn green. It could be beautiful, but they do it unevenly. We are thinking of collecting that urine and pre-treating the brass with it so that the color is at least uniform," Levytskyi says.

Restored doors should be rubbed with a wax roller every month or three, and dust should be removed. Brass should be rubbed with a special agent to retain the desired appearance and protect it from corrosion. After installing the restored door, the craftsmen instruct the residents about all these maintenance rules. However, Levytskyi adds only some follow them.

Odesa is a city that regularly suffers from shelling from Russia. This did not go unnoticed for the workshop either. In July, an explosive wave damaged the ceiling here, and the glass in the windows flew out. As a result of the impact, the power supply was interrupted.

"There was a little scratch on the door, but we fixed it ourselves and didn't tell anyone. We did not have to look for masters separately for this. People also helped us a lot," recalls Levytskyi.

In addition, the doors restored by the masters also suffer. Three months after installing the restored doors at Digtyarna 13, they were severely damaged by an explosive wave. The wave went through the lantern on the entrance ceiling and pushed the door open, so the built-in electric deadbolt lock was thrown out into the yard. The glass in the door leaves miraculously remained intact.

Levytskyi, however, has an explanation for the unusual strength of the glass: "We think it's because we use a special damper, that is, the glass is loosely held, and there is a flexible layer. The doors were damaged so much that we worked with them for three days."

Masters usually restore one door, but now they are working on several. One of their current projects is a door in the Odesa State Music Lyceum named after Professor P.S. Stolyarskyi, which was damaged due to shelling on July 23, 2023.

Even though there are enough doors in Odesa that need restoration, the project Thousands of Doors of Odesa dreams of expanding to other cities in Ukraine. Levitskyi says that he would like to work with the doors in Chernivtsi and Kamianets-Podilskyi: "We would like to extend our approach to restoration to other cities because we pay attention to all the elements, return to the doors their identity."

The specialty of the workshop is work not only on appearance but also on quality. The project's technical manager, Krayev, adds that the doors restored by the team differ from many of their "sisters" to the touch — this is felt in the materials used and the filigree of the lines.

During its history, the project has already moved to larger premises three times. Now, due to a rent increase, the team is again looking for a new space, where they dream of having more space to store equipment and materials. They also plan to create additional jobs. The project needs to be located in the center of the city because then the artisans can walk to the doors that will be restored.

The workshop needs donations, and they don't have enough extra money. There are constant expenses, and prices are rising because of the war. They had one budget, and now most of the materials have doubled in price. In addition, there is constant depreciation and repair of equipment, which the team doesn't always talk about. Sometimes, it must be done very quickly: sharpening saws, knives, or cutters. Putty is always needed because it runs out quickly. "We also want to increase salaries — now our craftsmen work almost on a voluntary basis, but that's not possible either because they need to feed their families. A lot of money is spent on public transport to get here," Levytskyi says.

Krayev adds that the workshop needs additional equipment. Currently, it is enough for restoration, but its acquisition helped the masters to facilitate some processes.

You can donate via the link to support the Thousands Doors of Odesa project.