The Old Houses of Tutrakan 
Molly House
By houseadmin in The Old Houses on 12.05.2021
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Address – Tutrakan, 8 Dimitar Blagoev Str. | GPS: 44.05059, 26.61127
First owner – unknown, dated back to the beginning of 20th century, mentioned in a notarial deed of 2000 for ownership of real estate, acquired by prescription until the nationalisation and restitution according to art. 9 of LROMRE (LAW FOR RESTORATION OF OWNERSHIP ON MAINTAINED REAL ESTATE) is cited a document – Testamentary from 1891, which leads us to assume that the house existed at that time.
The building is built with an interesting characteristic post-liberation architecture – the urban element predominates, but without long eaves, cleared of decorations, massive built of bricks, plastered with mortar. It consists of two floors. First floor, dug into the ground with a view to the north, with a height of over 4 m. Here are characterized by the arched shape of the windows and the front door. Second floor, residential, also high rooms. Horizontal cornices and vertical pilasters are well preserved. The roof has been repaired, and glazing has been left from which the river can be seen. The building is not painted and the architectural elements do not stand out well.
From 2007 to 2016, a number of improvements were made to the facade and roof. It is currently in good technical condition.
Over the years it has been a Home of pioneers, a school, a club of the Georgy Dimitrov’s Union of Youth, a revolving home for teachers and families of people who do not stay long in the city or are moved to their homes later. It was also adapted for the Polyclinic for some time. In it, for example, lived the woodworking teacher Bivolarov. In the last years of socialism it was a shop for revalued goods, after the democratic changes – an office, a shop for fishing tackle and animal preparations. After restitution procedures, the owners sold it to Stefan and Molly Kirov.
Stefan Kirilov Kirov is the grandson of Stefan Stefanov Kirov. The latter is Bulgarian actor and director, chairman of the Union of Bulgarian Artists in the period between 1935 and 1937, the Drama Theater in Sliven is named after him. Stefan K. Kirov was born in 1949 in Sofia. He graduated from the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague – MA in Film and Television Production and Management, 1976 – 1980. He worked for “Boyana Films” from January 1971 to February 1991, 20 years and 2 months as producer manager, producer of various feature films.
In February 1991 he established Stefan Kirov Films – a company for services for foreign productions, producer of the Bulgarian part of Central Express, projects for feature and documentary films. He died in Tutrakan on March 18th , 2017, at the age of 67. Molly Burke-Kirova is an American, a graduate of the National College of Art and Design, a professor at the American University in Blagoevgrad.
Stefan and Molly chose Tutrakan as their last resort and with their artistry brought color to their home.
