Sutyagin's House in Arkhangelsk was once the most popular object in the category of unofficial sights of the city. Today, this architectural masterpiece can only be seen on old photographs and souvenir cards. The unique wooden "skyscraper" was demolished in 2008 by decision of local authorities.
To a big man - a big house!
Nikolai Petrovich Sutyagin 20 years ago was one of the richest people in Arkhangelsk. A talented entrepreneur tried himself in various fields, but he achieved the greatest success in the construction business. Wealth and fame came to him from the organization Severnaya Zvezda LLC, which employed more than five hundred people. In the early 90s, Nikolai Petrovich decided to build a cottage in the suburbs of Arkhangelsk. According to the initial project, the house was supposed to be two-story and stand out from the surrounding one-story traditional huts. During the construction, Sutyagin himself went on a trip. During the trip he was especially attentive to the local architectural sights. Inspired by Japanese pagodas and ancient towers in Europe, Nikolai Petrovich was dissatisfied with the built cottage. It was decided to finish building another floor, and then another and another.
The history of the construction of the house of Sutyagin
Nikolai Sutyagin himself admits that he built his legendary house spontaneously. The main motivation was the desire to have rooms with good views and to stand out from the surrounding buildings. Sutyagin’s house in Arkhangelsk did not have a single project. Just at first one tower appeared, then it seemed to its creator “stupid”, after which it was decided to finish building more and more. In its final form, the building had thirteen floors, and its total height was 38 meters. At the same time, the house was not completely finished. In 1998, Sutyagin was sentenced to 4 years in prison. Two years later, he was released ahead of schedule, but in the absence of the owner, no one was engaged in construction. Nikolay Petrovich himself, after his release, settled in his house on the lower floors and gladly took tourists on excursions to the towers.
Unrecognized World Record
Despite the short period of its existence, Sutyagin’s house in Arkhangelsk managed to become a local attraction. The skyscraper was visible from almost all parts of the city. The Arkhangelsk "skyscraper" was also famous outside of Russia. The unusual house was recognized as a sensation of the year at the annual conference “Wooden construction in the northern cities”, held in Norway. They even planned to put the building into the Guinness Book of Records as the tallest wooden house in the world. The mansion was popular among journalists of domestic and foreign media. Sutyagin's house in Arkhangelsk had the following address: Vostochnaya street, house 1. In the early 2000s, tourists could not only admire this unusual attraction from afar, but also get inside. Nikolai Petrovich with pleasure conducted excursions for guests and talked about the design features of his brainchild.
Sutyagin House in Arkhangelsk: photos and interesting facts
Journalists have repeatedly compared Sutyagin’s mansion with the tower of the fairy-tale villain or the scenery for the horror film. Foreign media dubbed the unusual construction of Gangster's House or Wooden Skyscraper (a wooden skyscraper). In the Russian press, the house of Sutyagin in Arkhangelsk is usually called the Solombalsky skyscraper. In addition to the hut-skyscraper, a four-story bathhouse was erected on the site of Nikolai Petrovich. Sutyagin himself claims that his house was built according to old technology from wood and without nails. The skyscraper was never completed until the end, but despite this fact, the owner regularly received guests inside. Photos of Sutyagin’s house were printed on a series of souvenir cards with views of Arkhangelsk. And even journalists could not precisely determine the architectural style of the building.
Myths and legends
Sutyagin’s house caused genuine delight and interest not only among tourists, but also among residents of Arkhangelsk. But the closest neighbors of the wooden "skyscraper" have always been wary of him. This architectural masterpiece has always seemed insufficiently reliable to the residents of the village. Local were afraid of the collapse and fire of the building. A lot of different rumors went about Nikolai Petrovich himself. According to some versions, the "skyscraper" has a basement in which a real prison is equipped, which was even once used to contain the enemies of the owner. Residents of neighboring houses say that once upon a time in a high-rise tower, not only Nikolai Sutyagin's close friends, but also the most senior officials of the region were resting.
The history of the disappearance of a unique attraction from the city map
Sutyagin’s house in Arkhangelsk remained unfinished, because after his release from prison his owner lost his wealth, business and many useful connections. Since the early 2000s, Nikolai Petrovich was engaged in his estate alone and independently. In 2008, the city authorities became interested in the "skyscraper". In Arkhangelsk, it is forbidden to erect buildings above two floors without special approval. Sutyagin did not have such documentation, as well as the design of the resulting building. Accordingly, a local court recognized the wooden skyscraper as unlawful, and decided to demolish it. The owner refused to personally disassemble his brainchild and filed appeals. But, despite all the actions taken, in the same year the building was demolished to a four-story building. In 2012, a fire broke out that destroyed the rest of this unusual mansion. Today Sutyagin’s house in Arkhangelsk is a story that locals love to tell tourists. You can see the miracle of modern architecture only in old photographs.