Born in 1900, Algirdas Sliesoraitis was the child of the newly dawned era of modernism: socially active, initiative and entrepreneurial citizen of his time. As most of the Lithuanians were scattered by World War 1, he returned to Lithuania in 1918, enlisted in the army as a volunteer, defended the independence of his land and started studying. First, he studied at the Faculty of Technology and, later, the Faculty of Law at the University of Lithuania. He was a member of the Neo-Lithuania corporation. Yet he did not renounce the warfare either. He became a military officer and, in 1927, founder and chief of staff in the paramilitary nationalist organisation Geležinis Vilkas (Iron Wolf).
Sliesoraitis established and was in charge of Skuba, a railway trade and expedition company. He also was a shareholder of Lietuvos Linas and freight company Vaga. Moreover, like most of the entrepreneurial and affluent residents of Kaunas at those times, he invested in real estate. Yet, according to the accounts of his relatives, the house was built so that all three sons of A. Sliesoraitis and later their families could remain under one roof. Therefore, each son was supposed to get his own floor, and while they came of age, the apartments were rented. The multi-residential building was constructed in a prestigious street of the city and represented not only its owner but also signified his position in society.
To help with the design of the building, the owner of the house invited a promising architect Bronius Elsbergas who studied not only in Lithuanian but also French and Belgian institutions of higher education. Yet it does not seem that his choice was random: from 1935–1941, the architect worked in the Construction division of the Weaponry Board of the Lithuanian Armed Forces. In any case, the building constructed in the city was a fashionable representative of its time. It has changed little to this day, and many authentic details have survived. Even today, the house meets different needs of today’s society: there are two apartments designed on each floor: large and comfortable 4-5 room apartments for residents of higher and average income, and smaller apartments with 1-2 hotel-type apartments (without a kitchen) for bachelors.
Even though the building is currently abandoned, its design still continues to catch the eye of every architectural aficionado. It features expressive details, such as curved balconies, grooves, and stepped volumes which express the energy of the time and the trends dominant in Europe. It is also worth mentioning the exquisite style of the architect that can be felt in more minor details, such as the unique and exclusive style of the main entrance door. The building of powerful style received acclaim once it was built: an award from the city municipality for great architecture that decorates the city. Unfortunately, however, there was not much time left to rejoice. In 1940, an officer who was deemed too active and merited was imprisoned in Kaunas Hard Labour Prison and later deported to Soviet Russia. Yet it was not at his desire and free will. And this was where he died.
