History

"The more clearly a group of colours and shapes expresses its unifying idea, the more intense the sense of beauty that arises from such an impression."

Eižens Laube

Eižens Laube. The Master of Nordic Romanticism

Source: Riga Art Nouveau Centre
Eižens Rihards Laube (1880–1967) is one of the most prominent personalities in the third generation of Latvian architects who began their careers in the early 20th century, following in the footsteps of J.F. Baumanis and K. Pēkšēns. Eclecticism was on the decline, while Art Nouveau was becoming the dominant architectural style in Riga and throughout Latvia. At the same time, the self-confidence of the Latvian nation seemed to be awakening, too. Laube tried to promote Latvian national identity throughout his professional life, both by incorporating it into architecture and when teaching a new generation of architects.

Born into a family of craftsmen and builders, Eižens was exposed to architecture from an early age, so it is no surprise he eventually chose to pursue it as a career. As a young student, he was talented and diligent, and after his first year of study he was hired by the Pēkšēns architecture firm, which at the time was the leading company in the field. At the end of his fourth year of study, during a trip to Finland, Laube was introduced to the concept of National Romanticism that was characteristic of the Nordic nations in terms of architectural forms and shapes. This subtype of Art Nouveau then became the master’s main means of expression, leaving behind an immensely significant legacy in our metropolis.
Source: Riga Art Nouveau Centre
His studies revealed another talent, namely, Laube’s ability and desire to share knowledge, which was recognised by the management team of the Riga Polytechnic Institute and, after graduation, the young architect was offered a position as a tutor. In 1907, the Laube Architecture Workshop was established, which operated successfully until World War I, creating nearly 30 building designs a year. During the war, the Russian Empire moved the Institute to Moscow and Eižens Laube followed, too. Due to the lack of design work during the war, Laube started writing articles and books, including The Art of Colours and Shapes.

Once Latvia became independent, the search for Latvian style in architecture began and neoclassicism emerged as the style that most accurately expressed the honour and pride of the new nation with its pure forms and lines. Laube was one of those who helped to define it. During Latvia’s independence period, the architect was more involved in academic work, leading one of the workshops of the Faculty of Architecture at the University of Latvia, participating in urban planning, chairing the Architectural Commission of the National Building Committee and designing buildings of national importance such as the Latvian Academy of Agriculture, the Ķemeri Sanatorium and the reconstruction of Riga Castle.

World War II forced Laube to emigrate to Germany, where in 1946, together with other great architects from Latvia, Estonia and Lithuania, he established the Faculty of Architecture and Engineering at the Baltic University in exile in Pinneberg. He spent the last years of his life in Portland, Oregon, where, reflecting on his accomplishments, he published a collection of articles titled Writings on Architecture.
Laube's Work - a quest for a unique style
1 — Tallinas Street 23, Riga
together with K. Pēkšēns, 1902
Eižens Laube was an architect who was constantly seeking something new. He was an architect of change, so the Art Nouveau building on Tallinas Street should certainly be mentioned first. This is one of Laube’s first designs, created when he was a relatively young architect who had just begun working for the Pēkšēns architecture firm. Redesigned from the existing structure, Laube created a completely new and contemporary facade solution. An unusual and beautiful feature of the facade of this building is the bay window, which, together with the entrance portal, resembles a dragon’s maw. This, along with the other sculptural elements of the building, was designed by the sculpture studio Lotze & Stoll. There are two male busts on the eaves at both sides of the facade. Those who have an eye for detail might notice a certain resemblance to the architect’s face in the left-hand bust. Later, the architect said that he was ashamed to pass certain buildings while walking around the city. It is this building he had in mind because, as a university tutor, he rejected Art Nouveau, calling it unnecessarily pompous.
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Photo: Inga Karlštrēma
2 — Tērbatas Street 15/17
(Ķeniņa School), Riga
together with K. Pēkšēns, 1906
In the autumn of 1904, Laube and fellow student Aleksandrs Vanags embarked on a study trip to Finland, where they encountered Nordic or Finnish-style buildings characteristic of Helsinki at the time. This marked the beginning of Eižens Laube’s Nordic National Romanticism period, one of the first examples of which was the school built on Tērbatas Street. It is perhaps better known as the Ķeniņa School, and named after the person who built it: Atis Ķeniņš. The building was designed while Eižens was working at Konstantīns Pēkšēns’ firm. The building has a distinctive silhouette and architectonic finish executed using variations of different building materials. Of these materials, particularly noteworthy is calcareous tufa, which is primarily used in the finish of the building’s lower floors. Legend has it that it was sourced from fragments of Staburags.
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Photo: Inga Karlštrēma
3 — The Romanow Bazaar
Lāčplēša Street 70, 70a, 70b
Riga, 1909
This is one of Laube’s biggest projects, perhaps surpassed only by the Ķemeri Sanatorium. This is a group of buildings located not only on Lāčplēša Street, but also extending onto Avotu Street and Ernesta Birznieka-Upīša Street. The complex was named after the street – in 1909 Lāčplēša Street was called Romanov Street. The architectonic model of this monumental complex of National Romantic buildings with cubic corner towers is considered to be a forerunner of formal functionalism. The building at Lāčplēša Street 70a belonged to the artist himself and, for a number of years, it was also home to Laube’s Architectural Building Office – “the architectural workshop” (attelier), as the architect called it. In all probability, Laube wished to develop this quarter as a notable ensemble, but the architect did not have partners of equivalent stature to furnish the content for the planned bazaar.
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Source: postcard from a private collection
4 — Merķeļa Street 13
(Latvian Society House), Riga
together with Ernests Pole, 1909
After the first Latvian Society House burned down in 1908, the society’s management organised a closed competition in which the work by Eižens Laube and Ernests Pole was deemed to be the best conceptual design project. The first conceptual design has distinct traits of National Romanticism, which are characteristic of Laube’s signature style. However, following public protests and even an article in Rīgas Avīze, where the building’s conceptual design was severely criticised, a meeting of RLS grandees ordered the architects to revise the building design. In April 1909, the building’s project was submitted in neo-classical style. Most likely, this time the building façade was designed by Ernests Pole, because the press of the day does not mention the building among Laube’s works. The building’s finish is especially noteworthy for its portico with polished granite Ionic columns and high pediment adorned by Strength, a colour mosaic panel by Latvian painter Janis Rozentāls. Similarly, the risalti are crowned by the panels The Sun’s Greeting and In the Spring. In 1938, following the demolition of a school building, an extension designed by Eižens Laube to the Latvian Society House was built on the corner of Merķeļa Street and Arhitektu Street, with a restaurant and several meeting and club rooms.
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Source: Collection of Latvian Museum of Architecture
5 — Brīvības Street 37, Riga, 1909
Brīvības Street 39 (Sniķera House), Riga, 1929
These two addresses were home to two buildings designed by Laube, which were not only designed 20 years apart, but differed in terms of architectural styles. The tenement at Brīvības Street 37 is an example of National Romanticism with decorative reliefs depicting stylised images of animals. Originally built as a tenement, the building at Brīvības Street 39 is an example of functionalist style with neo-classical traits – a fusion of two, ostensibly, incompatible styles. At the Sniķera House, Laube’s chosen functionalism is epitomised by the elementary geometric division of the plan and façade, whose vertical step was dictated by the building’s steel frame, while the horizontal step is defined by large window glazing.
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Architect's Residency

Laubes nams
Baložu Street 20a, Riga
1924
The master submitted the first design for a private home located at 20a Balozu Street in Agenskalns, which its current owners have since named Laube House, to the Riga Building Authority in 1924. Twelve years later, another design more closely resembling its present form was submitted, allowing us to conclude that the house was built slowly and thoughtfully, though the architect was only able to live in it for 10 years.
As World War II came to an end, the building was confiscated by occupying forces, and during the Soviet years, it was converted into flats and later into offices for public authorities. In the 1990s, it was restored by a Swedish cosmetics company Oriflame in an attempt to retain its original appeal, though it eventually lost its authentic character.
2022
In recent years, the building was empty and unoccupied until the current owners, Lotte and Uldis Iltners, founders and shareholders of MÁDARA Cosmetics, spotted a for sale sign in the window during their Saturday walk. The renovation of the building lasted for 2 years, and since 2022, it has been the creative home of MÁDARA Cosmetics. The office is designed to facilitate professional activity and follows the ‘clean desk’ principle, which allows it to be transformed and adapted to other needs within just a few hours. This layout also allows the building to be used by other visitors.
This private home, built in a neoclassical style, has a very splendid and ornate appearance, resembling a real Italian villa amongst the wooden architecture that is characteristic of the Agenskalns area. It has 2 main floors, a cellar and an attic. Luckily, over the course of time, the historic facade of the building has not been ruined by its multiple owners, hence, we can still enjoy its charm and appreciate the story of its origins. The interior has undergone many changes, yet ceiling ornaments on the ground floor and the staircase designed by Eižens, including a vertical stained glass window in the middle, have remained intact.
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