Former Schneider Building

In the 18^th century an open river flowed along the street, which was called Garbarska at the time, with wooden houses standing on the banks (see 1766 map). There were parcels here at least from 1802 on. They were bordered by the present-day Nyzhankivskoho street, then called Krummegasse, meaning "curved" street. From the west, by the present-day boulevard, then Sankt Johann Gasse, meaning St. John Street. To the south, there was Alte Post Gasse, the "old post office" street, which does not exist now. It led from the river Poltva to the palace, where a post office functioned in the early 19^thcentury. On the other side of this little street, there was a residential house, dismantled in the 1880s; it was then that the prospect acquired its modern shape.

In the eastern part of the plot (conscription number 435 ¼), a stone townhouse s as early as 1802. Its main façade overlooked Nyzhankivskoho street, while on its left there was a garden. In 1828 a townhouse was designed to occupy both these plots. It was commissioned by Vinzenz Schmidt, the owner, commissioned Andreas Ign. Schindler. Schindler is referred to as a trainee of the Lviv Viceregency's construction department in later years (Szematyzm, 1837). It was planned that the building would have two floors with three two-room apartments and one three-room apartment, each with a kitchen. In the narrow, elongated courtyard, toilets were to be located on both floors. This project, although approved by the Magistrate, was not implemented (DALO 2/1/44:101).

To the left of the house, there was the river Poltva. An unapproved draft of the “Project for the reinforcement of the bordering right bank of the Poltva”(ger. "Plan zur Uferversicherung des abgrenzenden, rechten Peltew Ufers") from 1850 has been preserved. It shows a lock gate with a wooden door between the stone foundations (DALO 2/1/44:103), but it is not known whether all this was really made. The townhouse wasowned by Johann Dobrowolski at that time. In 1851, a small wing was added to the existing townhouse, whose project was designed by Josef Mühel, a builder (ger. Baumeister) (DALO 2/1/44:105).

Café Schneider

The history of a café in this townhouse began in 1867. It was in that year that Johann Dobrowolski, leased corner premises, where a baking oven was built (DALO 2/1/44:5). In 1871 dr. Ernest Rektorzyk owned the building. The adjacent plot number 433 ¼ remained vacant (Skorowidz, 1871).

In 1879 Gustaw Rudolf Schneider owned both the plots. At that time, a three-storied neorenaissance building was erected on the plot number 433 ¼, i.e. in the place of the garden. The café was expanded significantly: with the entrance in the west façade, it occupied four rooms, which virtually formed a large free space of 19.5 by 9.5 m in size.

In the summer of 1890, the Poltva was being hidden underground just near the building, along what is now prospect Shevchenka. The press reported that this caused a mess in the city and a "spread of diseases." In general, the number of visitors in cafés dropped ("Przysklepianie Pełtwi", Kurjer Lwowski, 16 July 1890, p. 3). Encouraging visitors, Gustaw Schneider repaired it and,  installed new billiard tables ("Café Schneider", Kurjer Lwowski, 7 September 1890, p. 6).

The Expansion

In 1896, Schneider commissioned a reconstruction of the building's right side, on the plot number 435 ¼. Architect Jan Schulz drew up a project. He copied the style of the 1879 building and made the extended building look symmetrical. On the ground floor, the café was expanded, an additional bakery and a laundry room were arranged in the basement, ventilation was installed. In 1897 a grand opening of the renovated building was held.

Schneider owned the house until his death in 1900. The next owner was Jakób Rollauer, who preserved the café and its name. In 1907, the renowned Lviv architectural bureau of Józef Sosnowski and Alfred Zachariewicz designed the replacement of a part of iron sewer pipes by reinforced concrete ones, with a reconstruction of the sewage channel (DALO 2/1/44:12,13,113).

In 1912 the café was closed and it was planned that the house be dismantled ("Kawiarnia Schneidra", Kurjer Lwowski, 2 March 1912, p. 8).

Subsequent Projects (1912-1926)

In 1914, the owner of the building and plot, jeweler Jan Jarzyna, planned to build a new five-storied building. It was to be a reinforced concrete structure. The drawings and design calculations of this project have not been preserved. In July of that same year, Jarzyna submitted his application for approval to the Magistrate, and it was approved (DALO 2/1/44:15,16,18); however, due to the First World War, he failed to implement his plans. In August 1918 he tried once again (DALO 2/1/44:17), but failed.

In 1926, the building was owned by famous architect and urbanist Ignacy Drexler. At least a part of it was dismantled by that time, as the "demolished house’s dismantled foundations", surrounded by a half rotten wooden fence, are mentioned. This was a danger for passers-by who could fall and get injured. The Magistrate tried to persuade the owner to replace the fence and to fill up the pits remaining fromthe foundations. However, Drexler planned to build a new townhouse here and asserted his right not to fill up the pits, because it meant "a waste of money" for him. Apparently, he failed to implement his plans for the construction, so he sold the plot to Jonasz and Wilhelm Sprecher, who built the contemporary house here in 1928-1930.