The Karl Baldi tenement house in St. Petersburg has had its stucco decoration restored, including a prominent mascaron of the God of Rain. The building, located on the 9th line of Vasilyevsky Island, now features the restored facade element with ruffled hair, wings, and thick whiskers.

The restoration was carried out with reference to historical documents by specialists from the Committee for Urban Planning and Architecture. The Art Nouveau building, constructed in 1907, was designed by Karl Baldi, a renowned architect and civil engineer.

According to local lore, the mascaron’s expression changes before rainfall due to the way shadows fall when clouds gather above the house. Residents and visitors can now observe this phenomenon for themselves.

Baldi, an alumnus of the Imperial Academy of Arts, designed approximately two dozen buildings in St. Petersburg, mostly tenement houses. His other notable works include the F.I. Tansky tenement house and the reconstruction of the Central Telephone Station.