The building of the Odessa National Scientific Library named after Gorky, designed by F.P. Nesturkh and built in 1906, is one of the city's most beautiful pre-revolutionary structures.
And it all began back in 1829, when the first public library in Odessa was opened thanks to Count Vorontsov, who donated 600 volumes from his own collection to it. The collection was housed on Primorsky Boulevard, in the Public Offices.
Only in 1874 did the library move to Grecheskaya Street, and then to Sobornaya Square, to Popudov House, where fifty years later the great silent film actress Vera Kholodnaya died.
In 1883 the library moved into the building of the Archaeological Museum on Lanzheronovskaya Street, and in 1907 settled on Khersonskaya Street.
It is said that Count M.M. Tolstoy (the younger) greatly helped the collection: he paid half of the amount allocated for the building's construction, bought the land and donated it to the library, and together with his mother also donated 4 thousand volumes along with oak cabinets.
