Eclecticism and wooden architecture: 19th-century house to be restored in Moscow

Reconstruction of the master house has started in the 19th-century estate in Khamovniki. It’s located at  10/1 Kropotkinsky Pereulok. The building is a regional cultural heritage site and protected by the government. The entirety of the project has been approved by the Moscow Cultural Heritage Department which oversees the works.

“We started our project meant to preserve the master house of the 19th-century town estate in Kropotkinsky Pereulok. It has stood empty for a while and is now in perilous condition. Right now, they are at the final stages of reinforcing the foundation. The next is restoring the wooden crowns. After fixing up the frame, they are going to restore plaster mouldings on the façades and historical interior chimneys. The project is part of 1 Ruble for 1 Square Meter preferential leasing program,” said Alexey Yemelyanov, Head of the Moscow Department of Cultural Heritage.

The house got its fully realized image in 1850-1875. It’s a two-storey building based on a wooden log-house. Its walls were covered with plaster, façades decorated with plaster mouldings. The house still has its original apartment-type layout and corner chimneys.

According to Maxim Gaman, Moscow Government Minister, Head of the Municipal Property Department, the 353.3 square meter house in Kropotkinsky Pereulok was leased out to a private investor after a bidding procedure, under the 1 Ruble for 1 Square Meter program.

“A 49 years’ lease was signed in May 2021. After the restoration is over, the investor will get a preferential rent rate: RUB 353.3 a year, or 1 ruble per 1 square meter,” said the Department Head.

Certain accident-prevention measures were taken before the restoration start: supports were installed under all ceilings, special frames were erected for chimney protection, modern decor was removed from load-bearing walls and partitions on the inside.

The so-called log-house suspension is being done now. They strengthen the wooden frame of the house, straighten out all surfaces, set up the thermal loop by insulating and water-proofing the walls, roof and foundation, protect the structure from the environment and precipitation. Later, restoration architects will clean out the wooden elements with great care, replace damaged crowns and repair the ceilings. After careful examination, plaster mouldings on the façades will be removed and restored in the labs. Its destroyed elements will be made anew. Chimneys lined with smooth ceramic tiles will also be restored, with all damaged parts of their structure and decor replaced. The restoration projects is planned to be finished in 2024.

The house in Kropotkinsky Pereulok is done in eclecticism style. It was built on S. Tsemerzhinskaya’s order to replace a small residential house destroyed by fire in 1871. Moscow resident A. Volkova owned the property in 1890-1896. Thereafter, it was passed to the French Mutual Support Association in Moscow. During that period, all the residential rooms in the house were rented out. G. Demet, a French national, bought it in 1906.

Over 1,800 architectural landmarks and cultural heritage sites have been restored in Moscow in the past 10 years. It’s a huge effort that goes on every day in order to preserve the city’s distinctive image. For example, restoration of the Cathedral of the Transfiguration of the Savior (the Novospassky Monastery) has started recently.