Moscow House of Architects is a complex of three buildings, each of which has its own glorious history, worthy of getting to know it. The modern life of this institution is also interesting.
Beginning of the history of the Central House of Architects
How to get to this ensemble, we will definitely analyze below. And now it’s worth at least a little to plunge into his story. It began in 1896 when, according to the project of the then popular architect Adolf Erichson, a beautiful mansion was built in Granatny Lane for the hereditary venerable Muscovite Anna-Louise Leman.
The architectural style of the future part of the Central House of Architects was neo-Gothic: the facade was decorated in detail, red brick, carved white stone parts, lancet windows. Eclecticism reigned indoors - Baroque, Classicism, Gothic were combined. The decoration of the mansion was a two-story hall with an impressive wooden staircase. On the upper floors there is an arched gallery, a library, ornate living rooms. By the way, today at the Central Design Center in Moscow you can admire these interiors almost intact - over the years, the room has lost only part of its furniture.
In the future, the building was in the hands of a variety of owners:
- just a few years after the construction, the second owner was P. A. Bazilevsky - an official on special instructions from the Governor-General of Moscow, chamberlain of the Court of the Emperor, stalmeister, state adviser, and the last leader of the nobility of the capital province;
- 1917 - the mansion was nationalized, later the headquarters of the Revolutionary Military Council was located here;
- 1920s - the building housed the center for the service of foreign tourists;
- 1930s - the office of the French embassy was arranged in the building;
- 1937 - the house found its final owner - was transferred to the Union of Architects.
Soon after the building was handed over to the architects, an extension-restaurant, an auditorium were made to it. The building became the Central House of Architects in February 1941.
Central part of the Architect's House
The same extension to the former Anna-Louise Leman mansion became the central part of the entire complex. It was built according to the project of the tandem of architects Vlasov, Merzhanov, Burov and artist Tabor for three years (1938-1941). The building includes a spacious auditorium with 435 seats, a restaurant designed for a simultaneous meal of 180 people.
The image of the central facade is a project of V.K. Burov. According to the architect, he was inspired by the image of the building on the fresco by the Italian Pierro della Francesca, which adorns the church in the city of Arezo. As a result, this part of the building looks like a facade-decoration, generously decorated with light gray marble, red ceramic tiles, artificial snow-white stone and gold smalt. The front side of the building is crowned by the work of V. A. Favorsky - a majolica cartouche with a schematic general plan of the capital. By the way, the graphic drawing of this facade of the Architect's House in Moscow became the emblem of the entire complex.
The interior was occupied by A.V. Vlasov, famous for the project of the Crimean bridge, "Luzhniki", Kiev Khreshchatyk. The lobby on the ground floor, designed for exhibitions and meetings, was designed by the architect with graceful snow-white columns. Marble stairs led the visitor to the second floor, where the Big Concert Hall was located, and wooden steps to the first floor, to the famous restaurant "Architect", which can be reached from Malaya Nikitskaya Street. A concert hall deserves a separate word, striking with its bas-reliefs of jewelry work depicting the general plan of the capital, the Acropolis and the Kremlin.
New Central Building
In the 1970s a neighboring mansion, built according to the project of V. Karneev in 1876, was added to the complex of the Architect's House in Moscow. The building was reconstructed, supplemented by a white stone facade.
The expansion did not end there - in 1975 a competition was held for the best project for a new extension of the complex. The jury selected architects Shchepetilnikova, Tkhor, Semerdzhiev and designer Lyakhovsky as performers. They managed to fit their snow-white, sculpture-adorned creation into an existing ensemble.
His plan was this:
- 1st floor - wardrobe, buffet, box office;
- 2nd floor - the leadership of the Union of Architects and related organizations, workshops;
- 3rd floor - conference room, exhibition space.
How to find a CDA
Address of the Central House of Architects: Granatny Lane, d. 7, p. 1, 600 m from the station. "Barricade"; 840 m from the station Krasnopresnenskaya 1.1 km from the station "Arbat". The CDA operates from Monday to Saturday, from 12.00 to 22.00.
This ensemble of three buildings is easy to find by two landmarks - the historical squares of Nikitsky Gate and Kudrinskaya, located near it.
Architect's house today
Currently, the work of the complex is aimed at popularizing the achievements in architecture, design (interior and landscape), urban planning of the past and the present. Much attention is paid to the professional and social work of members of the Union of Architects.
The house of the architect in Moscow was illuminated by its presence of many not only Russian, but foreign world-renowned architects: Bjarke Ingels, Massimiliano Fuksas, Zaha Hadid, Rem Kulhaas, Arata Isodzaki, etc.
Cultural Activities of the Architect's House
In addition to events related directly to architecture, the CDA hosts a host of educational, scientific, educational, and cultural events. Recall some of them:
- performance of Peter Nalich;
- concert of the State Symphony Orchestra named after Tchaikovsky led by V. Fedoseyev ;
- exhibition "Cosmos Malevich";
- Golden Section Festival;
- concert of Ilya Reznik;
- Argentine Tango Concert;
- jazz evenings;
- performance for the new series of "Jumble";
- Festival of Iconography, Orthodox Architecture;
- creative evening of Valentin Gaft;
- concert of soloists of Moscow theaters ;
- performance of the State Brass Band of the Russian Federation, etc.
The architect’s house in Moscow is a complex of trinity of buildings of three different eras, which at the same time represent an organic ensemble. It is always full of cultural, cognitive, creative and scientific activities - both in the past and today.