Tiny Apartments
80–82 Route Grouchy // Lane 54 Yanqing Road // 延庆路54弄
Tiny Apartments (not to be confused with Tiny Mansions, a project of W. Livin-Goldernstaedt on Yu Yuen Road)
Built in 1930. The complex consists of a three-story residential building with commercial spaces on the ground floor; an arch through the building leads to another residential building behind and garages. After completing these houses, Krivoss advertised them as follows: "Well-located shops, not far from Avenue Joffre, available now from Tls. 14 up to Tls. 17. Garage is also obtainable at Tls. 10 in the same building." (China Press, 27 Nov 1930).
In the years 1931–1947 the building's registered tenants were predominantly of the Russian extraction, while the stores at the street level were Chinese, among them Sin San Coal Co. 新生煤业公司 and Provision Store 兴亚食品公司. Route Grouchy itself was a thoroughly Russian-populated neighborhood.
Recently, an apartment in the former Tiny Apartments sold for close to 1 million yuan (almost 1,4 million US dollars).
Sources
Sources:
Shanghai Sunday Times, China Press, Shanghai Commercial Atlas
Boris Krivoss: the most prolific Russian architect you've never heard of