Bloka muiža

Bloka muiža stands in Riga’s Torņakalns neighbourhood as a single-storey wooden manor in the classical style. Built between 1841 and 1843, the house once stood beside the Jelgava highway with a garden alongside. Its gallery-like colonnade extends around three sides, while a courtyard portico carries a balcony above the entrance.

Bartels Scheibe, a hotelier, commissioned the house before Captain Eduards Bloks acquired it in 1857. From 1894 to 1937, the building accommodated the Torņakalns pharmacy owned by P. Lihinger. Later, restoration in 1952–1954 prepared the rooms for Scientific Restoration Workshop offices, and a library followed in 1963. Restoration work continued from 2006 to 2008, but the planned offices were left unfinished after the financial crisis.

A shallow pediment rises at the centre of the tiled roof, framing a large three-part semicircular window. The park entrance has double doors with Empire and classical details, topped by a broad transom window. The complex also includes a small wooden dwelling with a columned porch, while clay-brick vaults support the basement.