Vilnius, Lithuania

In the middle of the 19th-Century, this building located in the historic Old Town section of downtown Vilnius was a place where one of the most disciplined Jewish religious movements was born and developed.

During Nazi occupation in 1941-1944, the building was vacant when the synagogue in Uzupis was ravaged; and after, during Soviet occupation, the prayer house was remodeled into multi-family living apartments.

When Lithuania regained independence, it took almost 20 years to realize that the house was a historic Jewish site.

Architect Alfredas Trimonis developed the restoration project with the aim to maintain the historic scale of the building as a dialogue with its urban surroundings.

It was very important for him to maintain the simple, elementary forms in both the plan and the interior spaces.

Because of the historic nature of the building, the process to receive local authority approval to renovate required a lot of documentation.

However, the bigger challenge was not to lose the main concept or idea of the project, but to concentrate on the exact materials and colors selected to complete the aesthetic of a renovation.

For the building’s reconstruction, simple, but authentic materials were used—ones that were typical for the area, such as clay bricks and a tin roof; stone paving in the yard.

All building bricks were made in Lithuania by hand and according to architect assigned dimensions. The brick colour was adjusted with a mixture of soot and water.

Another idea was to give the reconstruction, not only a function, but to become the main thesis of the completed project.

The building’s interiors were left open to became the most important form and material to create an authentic a interior atmosphere.

Fair-faced concrete was used as the main construction material.

Non-construction walls were covered by old-style lime plaster with the aim to maintain the old building’s spirit.

New construction and other architectural details were created based on the older parts of the house.

However, the building had been planned and designed to accommodate to the current family lifestyle, while maintaining the original building’s integrity.

All spaces of the apartment were restored; parts of old wall painted and also the old brick and stone walls from the previous synagogue.

The building contains three floors. The entrance to the house leads to the hall and the stairs with the water pool, which are the central feature the apartment connecting all three floors. The water-pool serves as a natural air humidification system for the whole apartment.

The basement is divided into three parts: an art gallery, wine cellar, and a private gym and spa area with a sauna and small pool.

The ground floor contains a dining room joined together with the kitchen, a spacious living room, an entrance hall with the stairs, also an outside terrace with a marvelous top-hill view of Vilnius’ Old Town.

The first floor contains five bedrooms planned for a comfortable family living.

Architects: Trimonis architects
Client: Darius Zakaitis
Photographers: Leonas Garbaciauskas