12. The building of Panevėžys City Municipality

About

This structure is made up of four buildings (Laisvės sq.) built between the late nineteenth century and the beginning of the twentieth century, and the annexe erected in the 80s (Vilniaus str.). Old photographs clearly indicate that the houses were typical examples of historicist architecture. However, one (the third one looking from Panevėžys College) stood out from the rest aesthetically and functionally. In 1906, Panevėžys City Municipality bought this building (constructed in 1900) from Natanielis Kisinas for 15 000 rubles; after the reconstruction was finished in 1938, the building acquired modernist features. Political and ideological contexts changed multiple times, but the function of the structure remained essentially the same – for more than a century it belongs to the Municipality. In the 40s, the Executive Committee of the Soviet People’s Delegates based its headquarters here. All the branches, boards, inspections and the civil registration office were located in the nearby buildings which were nationalized back in 1940.

With the city growing constantly, the space occupied by the Executive Committee proved insufficient, so it became clear that some kind of additional structure is needed. In 1977, the competition for the project of the annexe was held and Mindaugas Steponavičius was declared winner. The three-story annexe along Vilnius street, built between 1985 and 1986, was officially being constructed as a “prophylactic disinfection station”. It clearly reflected the hypocrisy of the Soviet era – since there was no way to acquire funds for the construction of the additional office space for the Executive Committee, a new, “official” function of the future structure was presented. The annexe built in Soviet modernist style was occupied by the Building and Architecture department.

At the same time, the reconstruction of the Executive Committee headquarters (four buildings in Lenino, now Laisves square) went underway by the project of Algimantas Šironas. The third storey, as well as the conference hall, were additionally constructed. The process was finished in 1987.

In 1990, after almost fifty years of Soviet occupation, a newly elected democratic city council of Panevėžys moved here.