Tretyakov Gallery Library regains authentic facades

The facades of the two buildings of an 18th-century estate house in 1st Kadashevsky Pereulok, which currently house the Tretyakov Gallery Library, have regained their historical facades. The newly-restored main building and outbuilding are both cultural heritage sites, the former of federal and the latter of regional significance.

“These two buildings of an 18th-19th-century estate stand out among other buildings in Pervy Kadashevsky: they give a revealing insight into how this street looked a couple of centuries ago. That is why it was necessary to restore their original look,” said Alexei Yemelyanov, Head of the Moscow Department of Cultural Heritage.

The restoration began in October 2017. Specialists checked the facades for spots where plaster peeled off, cleaned them, desalinated the brickwork and filled the cracks and the hollows. After that the walls were coated with two layers of paint. The plaster mouldings have also been renovated and reinforced.

In addition, workers hand-cleaned the white-stone plinths of the buildings, dressed them with fungicide, restored and reinforced them, and applied water repellent to protect the stones against moisture.

The windows on the ground floor were also included in the restoration efforts: the old paint was removed before repainting. The metal grids, canopies, brackets and gates were similarly renovated.

The revamped buildings are parts of a former urban estate. Beneath the light-blue manor house in Empire style are the foundations of merchant chambers dating to the 18th century. The mansion underwent complex repairs in 2009.

The outbuilding was built in the 19th century. Before the revolution, there was also a garden sprawling as far as Lavrushinksy Pereulok. Today, the former estate accommodates the Tretyakov Gallery Library, which was founded in 1899. Its collection boasts over 300,000 books, magazines and periodicals, postcards, playbills and other printed materials.

The area, once known as Kadashyovskaya Village, is now part of the Yakimanka District. First Kadashyovsky Pereulok was formerly called Voskresenskaya Street, named after the Church of Voskreseniye (the Resurrection of Christ) in Kadashi. The earliest written mention of Kadashyovskaya Village goes back to the 16thcentury. One of the largest industrial settlements in Zamoskvorechye, it was famous for its kadashi barrel makers and later for its weaving factories.