Wooden architecture on Kalnciema iela
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The wooden architecture along Kalnciema iela - and particularly the cluster at the corner of Kalnciema iela and Melnsila iela - has quickly become a symbol of the renewal of wooden architecture in Riga. The owners of these carefully restored buildings have attempted to create a unique environment, housing architects' offices, design salons, art galleries and other creative spaces.
From time to time, near the retro automobiles in the courtyard, market fairs draw craftsmen and chefs, who sell their wares and homemade foods among the Latvian design products on offer from the salons.
The main building of the former Hartmann Estate (Hartmaņu muiža) at Kalnciema iela 28 currently houses the Gandrs shop for recreation and tourism items, giving you a chance to see the interior of this wooden building.
The nearby Āgenskalns water tower at Alises iela 4 is a wonderful example of architecture from Riga's early 20th-century industrialization period. Behind it are the first Soviet apartment blocks to be built in the city, dating from the 1950s, in an area where wealthy residents previously lived in two-storey houses amid fragrant pine trees.