Alexei Yemelyanov: Moscow has been enjoying a restoration boom

Close to 700 cultural heritage monuments have been restored in Moscow over the past six years. Restoration of an additional 120 monuments will be completed this year.

Head of the Department of Cultural Heritage Alexei Yemelyanov talks to mos.ru about what triggered the restoration boom in the capital and how Muscovites can choose their own monuments.

The plans for this year, according to Mr Yemelyanov, include installing a memorial plaque to Yevgeny Primakov and starting the restoration of the Narkomfin Building, which will see its columns returned. In addition, draft restoration projects for 14 metro stations have already been prepared and the launch of a historical train around the historically significant stations of the Moscow Central Circle is in the pipeline.

— Mr Yemelyanov, the criteria for designating cultural heritage monuments has changed since 2015. Muscovites can now suggest buildings which they believe are monuments. Are Muscovites taking full advantage of this opportunity?

— Indeed, previously new monuments could be added to the heritage list only based on a historical and cultural assessment, which had to be done at the applicant’s expense. A person could submit an appropriate request only after he had obtained the required documents confirming that the structure in question could be designated a monument. Changes in the federal law were made in 2015, and in 2016 we have been issuing the necessary by-laws for the system to start working.

Since the beginning of this year, any individual can submit a request to the Department, claiming that a building is, in his opinion, a monument. To do this, he has to submit a request, backed by information substantiating his opinion. Then, within 90 days, we, together with experts from the scientific and methodological council, consider the request and make a decision.

This year, 30 new monuments have appeared in the city thanks to Muscovites. In total, we received about 90 requests, one-third of which are still being reviewed. I believe this is a very good result.

— What buildings are we talking about?

— Based on Muscovites’ requests, we have added the building at 11 Plyushchikha to the list of cultural heritage sites. The building was Leo Tolstoy’s first Moscow home and was not previously under state protection. Currently it houses a state traffic police department.

Another example is the former Institute of Apiculture on Feodosiyskaya Street in the Butovo District, which is an interesting post-constructivism monument. The building was slated for demolition under the area’s draft development plan, but following Muscovites’ request, the building was examined, revealing its historical value. Naturally, it is now set for restoration and preservation.

A unique kindergarten with elephant statues built in the 1930s is no longer under demolition threat

Another case is the story of Moscow’s oldest pre-school institution – the kindergarten on MarshalaVasilevskogo Street, also known as the kindergarten with elephants. The kindergarten was planned for demolition, with a new building to be built in its place. We received a request from the residents, considered it at the council meeting, and designated the building a cultural heritage site.

As a result, this unique kindergarten built in the 1930s will not face demolition. The building was originally designed in the constructivism style, but the facades were made in the so-called classic Stalinist architectural style. In the courtyard there is a small pool with four elephant statues at the corners.

— Are there any incentives for the most enthusiastic Muscovites? I mean those who submit the most applications for new landmarks.

— We don’t have any special incentives, but that’s a good idea and we’ll give it some thought. At any rate, I’m sure if an enthusiastic person files in an application to designate a landmark and it receives support from the experts and Moscow’s Cultural Heritage Department, he or she will already feel rewarded.

In late October a memorial plaque to prominent Russian statesman Yevgeny Primakov will be installed on Skaterny Pereulok.

— Many memorial plaques were installed in 2016, for instance, one for surgeon Alexander Bakulev, and actresses Lyudmila Gurchenko and Lyubov Polishchyuk. What memorial plaques will appear in Moscow before the end of the year?

— Generally, we install about 20 memorial plaques a year and plan to put up another six before the end of this year.  In late October a memorial plaque to prominent Russian statesman Yevgeny Primakov will but put up on Skaterny Pereulok. We’ll install three memorial plaques to Muscovites – Heroes of the Soviet Union before the end of the year:  Air Marshal Nikolai Skomorokhov, Artillery Marshal Vasily Kazakov and pilot Rufina Gasheva.

We would also like to install a memorial plaque to actor Vladimir Druzhnikov on 28, 1^st Tverskaya –Yamskaya Street. He played in the movies “Stone Flower” and “Admiral Ushakov.”

A memorial plaque to Soviet engineer and construction worker Emmanuil Gendel will be installed on Tverskaya Street. Having invented a method to move some buildings on Tverskaya Street, he saved several of its buildings from demolition, including the great Savvinskoye Podvorye Palace. Historically it overlooked Tverskaya Street’s red line but now it is located in a courtyard. In November 1939 a 24-tonne residential building was moved 50 metres into the depth of the quarter.

— Who pays for memorial plaques? Who can initiates installation?

— We accept applications from organisations that can pay to make and install them. The applicants also have to guarantee that they’ll maintain them in the future since every memorial plaque is a piece of art that is put on a building’s façade. Applications are reviewed by a special commission that makes the decision to install them or not.

— Moscow’s one-rouble-per-one-square-metre programme is four years old now. It allows tenants to lease buildings in Moscow on easy terms. In exchange, the city receives restored landmark buildings. Can you please describe the restoration of these buildings in more detail? How many buildings have been completely restored under this programme?

— We have done a lot in the past two years. We identified all of Moscow’s cultural heritage buildings that were in critical condition -- about 200 in all. With assistance from Rosreestr (Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography) we determined their owners and users. It turned out that a third of these buildings belonged to the city. They were the first to be included in this programme.

Right now 17 buildings are covered by the programme. Five of them are basically finished, and the others are still being restored. The programme has given new life to wonderful buildings that had been neglected for many years:  the Khludovs town mansion of the 18^th -20^th century on Malaya Polyanka Street, the so-called House with Caryatids on Pechatnikov Pereulok, the manor house in Podsosensky Pereulok and the Military-Paramedic School building from the 18^th-19^th century in Lefortovo.

The programme is good and everyone wins. The city gets restored buildings while the lessees that restore them have the right to lease them for 49 years at this special rate: one rouble per square metre.

— What new facilities will be put up for tender before the end of the year?

— To be clear, the Department of Property deals with tenders. Meanwhile, we are drafting documents for ten more properties under the same programme.

They include:

— the garden pavilion at 42/ Sivtsev Vrazhek Street, Bld. 5;

— the cast-iron tram stop outside 17 Krasnostudenchesky Proyezd;

— the residential building of the Naumov and Volkonsky families at 36 Prechistenka Street, Bld.2;

— the tenement building at 8Nastasyinsky Pereulok, Bld.1;

— the estate at 21/5, bld. 1 Volkhovsky Pereulok, bld.1; 10Kropotkinsky Pereulok, bld.1; 16 Milyutinsky Pereulok, bld.3; 19a Vorontsovskaya Street, bld. 2;

— the annex of the Lepyokhiny Estate at 4 Andronyevskaya Square, bld. 3;

— the modernist estate at 15 Volkov Pereulok, bld.1.

We are now drafting the necessary documents for the conservation status of these buildings, their condition and renovation requirements.

— You also provide subsidies to religious organisations that take up landmark restoration. Which of these sites will be finished by the end of the year?

— This year, the city provided over 400 million roubles in subsidies. Ten religious organisations took up the obligation to restore 14 historical buildings. Our plan is to finish at least five of them before the end of the year.

This October, we plan to complete the Bakhmetyev bus depot where the Jewish Museum and Tolerance Centre is currently located.

Also before the year is out, the 17th century St Nicholas Church at Novospassky Monastery will be completed, as well as the Church of Saint Martyrs Florus and Laurus on Zatsepa Street that was completely abandoned before the renovation, with the crosses and the dome missing.

Exterior renovation will be complete at the Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery, the Church of St Pachomius and the bell tower with the gatehouse church. By the way, the bell tower of the Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery is a unique landmark, one of the first of its kind that serves as an entrance to the monastery, a church and a bell tower.

— What about sites that do not belong to the city?

— We developed a roadmap for each of the 153 sites that are in unsatisfactory condition, to motivate the owners to renovation.

The owners received an action plan to mitigate the critical condition and restore the buildings. The action plan also includes deadlines for the properties to be put into good shape, and a warning that the properties could be taken if the plan is not fulfilled.

For example, there is a tenement building of merchant Bykov on 2nd Brestskaya Street, one of the last buildings designed by Moscow architect Lev Kekushev. For many years, the building was in a critical condition. This year, it was fixed up and the cosmetic renovation begun.

The atlantes building on Solyanka Street will also be renovated once it is brought into habitable condition. The other building is Guryev Chambers on Potapovsky Pereulok.

This year, we completed the renovation at one of the constructivist buildings, the Communal Building on Ordzhonikidze Street. Before the end of the year, we’ll begin the renovation of the legendary Narkomfin Building on Novinsky Boulevard. The investor involved in the renovation is very careful about its historical and cultural value. Initially, architect Moisei Ginzburg planned to design a building on pillars, or “legs.” However, during Soviet times, the walls were built on the ground floor and the pillars were removed. The investor bought out the entire ground floor from the city for a free-market price in order to take down the walls completely and restore the original look of the building.

New construction has been almost banned in the centre of Moscow. When owners and investors realised that they couldn’t build anything substantial in the city centre, they decided to restore existing buildings.

— How many buildings have you restored in the city altogether? What building is most important to you personally?

— Over the past six years, about 700 cultural heritage sites have been restored in Moscow. It’s a real restoration boom. We expect about 120 more sites to be completed soon, аlmost half of them being funded through private investment. Such strong interest is partly due to the city's urban development policy. New construction has been almost banned in the centre of Moscow. When owners and investors realised that they couldn’t build anything substantial in the city centre, so they decided to restore existing buildings.

For me, the most significant building is the House with caryatids on Pechatnikov Pereulok. (A caryatid is sculptured female figure used as a column — mos.ru.) This house was used, for example, in Leonid Gaidai's movie The Twelve Chairs. This was our first project that was successfully restored under the “one rouble per square metre” programme. The building was in a dilapidated state for a long time, and we couldn't find an investor. It is a small building, and large investors weren't interested. Now the building has been beautifully restored.

Every phone call, every complaint from Muscovites is under my personal control

— How can Muscovites complain or comment about the activities of the owners of the city's historical buildings?

— We have a hotline, +7 (916) 146-53-27, to report any illegal activity related to cultural heritage sites. On average, we receive 10–12 complaints a week. Every phone call, every complaint from the public is under my personal control. Also, every week we publish a report on our website with feedback for those who have submitted comments.

Based on a Department of Cultural Heritage recommendation, the historical railway station buildings on the Moscow Central Circle have been painted dark red with white trim, the same as they were in the early 20th century.

— The Moscow Central Circle (MCR) began passenger service on 10 September. Many stations and other buildings were built in the early 20th century. How many MCR stations are recognised as cultural heritage sites?

— Sixteen railway SMBR stations, designed by leading architects of the time, have been preserved from the early 20th century. Almost a hundred buildings and facilities have been protected, including railway stations, terminals, technical facilities and others. While preparing to launch passenger service on the MCR, we managed to build the new and modern station hubs pretty far from the historical stations. The thing is, passenger traffic has increased thousands of times since 1908. Certainly, we cannot adjust the existing small stations to today’s transport problems in such a huge megalopolis.

In addition, we have renovated almost 60 buildings. For example, at the recommendation of the Department of Cultural Heritage, the railway station buildings were painted dark red with white trim, the same as they were in the early 20th century.

— Which stations on the MCR are the most interesting from the historic point of view?

— First, I’d say Presnya Station (the former station between Delovoi Tsentr and Shelepikha stations. — mos.ru), which has been very well preserved. The station's wall clock was made by the well-known Paul Buhre watch company and purchased in the early 20th century still works. The station itself has also survived until the present day. My colleagues from Moscow’s railways and I are planning to open a museum of SMBR (Smaller Moscow Belt Railway) history at this station.

We also have a concept to run a historical train that would stop at the most interesting stations — Likhobory, Luzhniki, Presnya, Kutuzovskaya.

— How else do you plan to use the historical and cultural potential of the MCR? Where will QR codes with information about the stations be found?

— We will place QR codes in the Lastochka trains on the MCR soon. The carriages will be equipped with information posters with archival station plans, photos of them today, as well as the QR codes. We also have a concept to run a historical train that would stop at the most interesting stations — Likhobory, Luzhniki, Presnya, Kutuzovskaya.

— The Moscow Metro has several landmarks too: 45 stations are recognised as cultural heritage sites. Both Baumanskaya and Prospekt Mira (Circle Line) stations have been opened after extensive restorations. What projects are next?

— Plans for 14 metro stations have been approved. The projects include exterior and interior restoration. Parts of the Krasnye Vorota and Sokol stations are currently undergoing partial restoration.

Later, the appearances of Kropotkinskaya, Krasnoselskaya, Chistye Prudy, Smolenskaya, Okhotny Ryad, Novokuznetskaya, Prospekt Mira, Park Kultury, Lubyanka, Biblioteka imeni Lenina, Sokolniki, and Novoslobodskaya stations will be restored. Although the plans have been approved, the stations won’t be closed immediately. The schedule to close these stations is being determined by metro officials to bring as little inconvenience to metro users as possible.

We are working on these displays now. Tverskaya Street will show these items close to where they were found

— This year, major street improvements were seen as part of the My Street programme. There were plans to cover one part of the wooden pavement with clear panels on Tverskaya Street to display the interesting artifacts found during construction – coins, lost buttons, tableware, toys and even a 17^th century counterfeiter’s tool. When will this appear?

— We are working on these displays now. Tverskaya Street will show these items close to where they were found. The artifacts became part of the Museum of Moscow collection. When all the permits and agreements are obtained, we’ll be able to discuss the date this street exhibit will open.

Earlier we found only private letters, but here we see a complaint composed as a business letter. The author complains that he had to pay a double duty during a trip and doesn’t know what to do.

— What interesting items have been found at Zaryadye Park? When will people be able to see them?

— Yes, Zaryadye Park has produced a lot of interesting finds. Archaeologists found a birch-bark letter with unique content. This is the fourth birch-bark document discovered in Moscow. Earlier we found only private letters, but here we see a complaint composed as a business letter. The author complains that he had to pay a double duty (tax – mos.ru) during a trip and doesn’t know what to do.

Archaeologists have also found a trove of silver coins, weighing over 20 kg in total. Experts assume that they date back to 1616 as the best-preserved coins from this find appear to be that old.    

Our special pride is a fragment of the Kitai-Gorod Wall along the embankment. In the 1930s-1940s, communications utility lines were laid there and, according to some information, fragments of that wall were believed to have been hopelessly lost. But as it turned out during the excavation, the wall survived.

The public will be able to see those artifacts at a museum, which will open in a new underpass to Moskvoretskaya Embankment, when Zaryadye Park opens next year. Work is under way on a 15-metre section of the Kitai-Gorod Wall to turn it into a museum through which people will come and go. All the artifacts found in Zaryadye Park will be displayed there too.   

       

The emergency maintenance on Shukhov Tower is finished.

— Is the emergency maintenance on Shukhov Tower done by now?

— Yes, the emergency maintenance on Shukhov Tower is finished. A metal support frame was built inside the tower, which bears the bulk of the load. Along with the Ministry of Culture, we are working to restore it more completely.

— Will there be any excursions near the tower?

— At this point, we need to design and carry out a restoration project and a schedule. When the work is done, we’ll include the tower in our programme to promote cultural heritage sites. So, maybe there will be a tour of it. The Shukhov Tower undoubtedly is a masterpiece of world architecture and engineering, and it requires special attention.    

I’m quite sure that restorers will be much sought-after over the next ten years. 

—  How is your Department promoting the profession of restoration specialist among young people? You’ve signed a cooperation agreement with the Moscow Institute of Architecture (MARKhI). What other universities are you planning to work with?

— This is the most important part of our work. Now, we are actively campaigning to young people with an interest in Moscow, restoration, and landmarks who can gain experience and learn from real specialists. I’m quite sure that restorers will be much sought-after over the next ten years.

We signed an agreement with MARKhI: our specialists will lecture there, we will offer students internships, both at our department and at major restoration firms.

Soon, we’ll sign similar agreements with the Russian State University for the Humanities and the Plekhanov University of Economics. The thing is that today merely restoring a building is not enough. We need to understand how landmark buildings should be used after restoration so that they can be developed in tune with the city. That’s why we decided look for management students at Plekhanov University. In addition, two Moscow colleges are training restorers. These are Polytechnic College No. 2 and College of Architecture, Design and Re-Engineering No. 26. This year, we are planning to add a new award nomination to the Moscow Restoration competition. And we would like a reputable restorer to present the award to the winner.