CARL ROSSI’S BIRTHDAY
On December 29, 1775 (December 18 – old style), the outstanding Russian architect of Italian origin Karl Ivanovich Rossi, born Carlo di Giovanni Rossi (Italian: Carlo di Giovanni Rossi) was born.
Carl Rossi is the author of many buildings and architectural ensembles in St. Petersburg and its environs, including the beautiful palace and park ensemble of the Mikhailovsky Palace, now the main building of the Russian Museum, and the adjacent Mikhailovsky Garden. Rossi worked on the garden redevelopment project together with the architect A.A. Menelas (from 1819 – 1826), however, the garden was preserved designed personally by K.I. Rossi pier on the bank of the river. The sinks and the pavilion, which bears the name of its creator “Rossi Pavilion”, inside the pavilion there is a bust of the architect. The openwork cast-iron fence of the pier, the eastern fence of the Mikhailovsky Garden, along Sadovaya Street, the bridge over the ponds, were also created according to the drawings of K.I. Russia.
And in the Summer Garden K.I. Rossi left his mark of genius. It was he who, in 1826, created the famous “Coffee House” on the old foundation of the “Grotto”, destroyed by the flood of 1777. Before the events of 1917–1918, the building of the Coffee House was a famous St. Petersburg confectionery, where people walking around the garden could happily drink a cup of hot chocolate, cocoa or aromatic coffee and enjoy the signature cakes of its owner, the cheerful Italian Giuseppe Piazzo.
In the 20th century, the administration of the Summer Garden was located in the Coffee House. Currently, the Coffee House is again a city cafe where you can relax and have a snack after a walk in the garden, drink a cup of coffee, and listen to live music in the evening.