No.8 Pasta (Post)Street / No.7 Jāņa (St. John’s) Street

No.8 Pasta Street / No.7 Jāņa Street in April, 1937

No.8 Pasta Street / No.7 Jāņa Street in 2014

The plot of land, on which the wooden house shown only in the photos on the corner of Pasta and Jāņa streets was built, may have been built as early as the 17th century and housed the same pub that was mentioned in 1715 as having a thatched roof in poor condition, and the pub is abandoned. At the same time, it is indicated that the pub should be repaired and rented to a citizen of Aizpute in order to be able to sell beer and vodka brewed in Jaunlaža (Neu-Laschen) Manor. However, this was not done and the pub collapsed.

This was one of the two estates of Jaunlaža (Neu-Lasche) Manor, which belonged to the Dukes of Courland in the town territory (see also № 5 Pasta Street), which, in 1761, Karl Christian Joseph of Saxony (Prince Charles of Saxony) authorized the lease for an annual fee of 4 Albert Reichsthalers to the Mayor of Aizpute, Johann Samuel Heroldt, allowing the leased plots to be built on and the buildings retained.

With this decision of the duke, the tenant of Jaunlaža (Neu-Lasche) Manor Karl Ludwig Vietinghoff-Scheel was not at peace, he continued to consider these plots of land as the property of Jaunlaža (Neu-Lasche) manor. He confiscated the building materials provided by Heroldt, and the Mayor was forced to complain to the Duke. On 30 July 1762, the Duke ordered the Vietinghoff-Scheel to return the confiscated building materials to Heroldt and not to prevent him from disposing freely of the property belonging to him under the contract of 13 May 1762.

On November 29, 1782, the Duke of Courland Peter von Biron leased this plot of land to the Jew Heymann Wulf, who had to pay the Duke an annual rent of 9 Talers for it, receiving the right to fence and build the plot under the same conditions, as well as to assign the lease to someone else.

The Town Plan of 1797 shows that a building was built on this plot only along Pasta (Post) Street, but there is a small separate house near Jāņa (John’s) Street.

In 1802, an assignment - sale of the property agreement was entered into force, under which the guardians of the deceased Heymann Wulff's underaged son, Marcus, transferred the obligations and sold the plot of land with a house to Moses Izig Cohen for 900 Albert Reichsthaler for 90 years.

In 1811 and 1834, the owner was David Moses Kahn (also Cohen). It was during his time that a second extension along Jāņa (St John’s) Street was built to the building on Pasta (Post) Street, as it was not in the 1812 Town Plan yet, but is in the 1830 Plan.

The Cohens owned this property until 1885, when it was bought from David Cohen's son Moritz for 4,100 Rubles by the tailor Isak Gelhaar.

In 1912, Voldemārs Fenskis bought this property for 4,900 Rubles and rebuilt the house. There is no detailed information about it, but it must be assumed that the repairs were thorough, because in 1913 Jānis Elgutis paid 12,500 Rubles to Fenskis for this house.

In 1922, this house was bought by Matīss Untenbergs for 15,000 Latvian Rubles. In 1927, he wanted to rebuild the house by building the second floor, so he applied for a loan from the Mortgage Bank of Latvia. The bank evaluated the project and concluded that it would be too expensive, so the owner decided not to do it, but in 1928 the bank lent 5,000 Lats for the repair of the building, because on May 28, 1928 it had found that the building was old and deteriorated, in need of major repairs. The real estate is located in the best part of Aizpute and very profitable.

In 1929, Untenbergs asked the bank for another 3500 Lats for the final completion of construction and repair in addition to the already issued 5,000 Lats.

On September 12, 1933, this property was bought at auction by 8,971 Lats by the II Liepāja Mutual Credit Union. There are 5 apartments (11 rooms, 5 kitchens) and 3 trade premises in the residential building.

The Taxation Act of 17 April 1934 found that the condition of the residential building could not be considered satisfactory. Only current internal repairs have been carried out in part of the premises. No major repairs have been carried out. The roof of the building is leaky, the external wall logs are damaged in places; in many rooms the ceiling is bent, because the beams are obviously damaged. However, all the rooms are inhabited. Taxation value 14,100 Lats.

On July 9, 1935, the property was bought by Credit Bank of Latvia.

On April 6, 1937, at the request of Credit Bank of Latvia, the Board of Mortgage Bank of Latvia signed an assessment report for this building, which mentions that the Aizpute Town Council has requested either a major overhaul of the building or its demolition.

The assessment report on the inspected building states that it is a 1-½ storey wooden residential building with a clay tyle roof, 12 living rooms and 9 rooms for shops and adjacent rooms. Building value 9,464 Lats, ground plot value approx. 1,000 Lats, income from shops and apartments 105 Lats per month.

On June 1, 1937, this property was bought from Credit Bank of Latvia for 7,701.97 Lats by Pēteris Sprieslis, who had carpentry there.

The oldest found information on economic activities shows that in 1825 there was a David Kahn manufactory and haberdashery store. In 1884, there was a Brauer’s lithograph workshop on the side of Jāņa Street.

During the First World War, there was a Peisach Kosak’s colonial goods store on the side of Jāņa Street, which Philip Kozak still had here in the 1920s. Then on this side there was also the workshop of Meier Haase for upper parts of shoes, but on the side of Pasta (Post) Street Jānis Kalniņš shoemaker's workshop.

At the beginning of the 1920s there was a Simon Bluhm grain store on Pasta Street, after 1922 Matīss Untenbergs had a wine and vodka store, Augusts Māķens hairdresser, in 1925 also a tavern of the Craftsmen's Association, and the Kurzeme farmers' shop on their premises for a couple of years.

In the 1930s, Kate Untenberg's teahouse was located on Pasta Street.

The building also housed Rebecka Kifel and Žanis Strazdiņš grocery stores, Bernhard Dzenis meat and sausage store, Krišs Pumpurs bicycle and dairy machinery store, Philip Kosak saddlery and carriage store.

BACK TO START OF THE STREET