Renovation of the facade of “Sakta” house

The aim of the project is to restore one of the most famous buildings in the centre of Riga, also known as “Sakta” house.

The facade of the building will be restored, the elements of the roof tin and the lighting of the facades will be replaced, as well as the grounding contour will be created, thus restoring the lightning protection of the house.

After the renovation, the building will become more attractive to visitors, as well as the value and longevity of this property will increase. The building will no longer have the status of an environmentally degrading building and its public image will be restored.

History of the building

The four-storey brick wall building, now known as the “Sakta” house, was built in 1869 as an apartment rental house according to the project of architect Heinrihs Kārlis Šēls. The owner of the house was a well-known family of Riga construction contractors, Krīgeri. In 1912, the fourth floor was added to the house, the author of the reconstruction project was architect Mārtiņš Nukša. There has always been public premises on the ground floor. Immediately after the construction, Frankes Café-Restaurant and Johans fon Manteifels photo studio operated in the building. In 1941, after nationalisation, the building was used for the needs of the Faculty of Economics and Law of the State University of Latvia, as well as the Faculty of History and Philology. The Faculty of History and Philosophy of the University of Latvia was located in the building until 2009. In 1964, a popular gift and souvenir shop “Sakta” was opened here, but since 2006 the Latvian Post Office has been operating in these premises. Also, since May 2014, the National History Museum of Latvia has been operating in the building.