Wandering Camera

Album 169
(Translated by
Nina Mamayeva)

 

Today we are going to visit a more recently built area. We'll take a look at the Stachek Square (next to Narvskaya subway station), the Kirovskaya Square and a short stretch of the Stachek Prospect, which connects the two squares. 
Such a pattern with two joined squares was introduced by architect L.A.Ilyin  in 1924.

 

Let's start with the Stachek Square. Even though the Narvskaya Triumphal Arc occupies its center, we weren't able to take any pictures because of the  scaffolds. At one side of the square there is the Gorky Entertainment  Complex (prior to the revolution there was a wooden school in its place).

This was the first entertainment complex in the country. It was built by A.I.Gegello and D.L.Krichevsky in 1926-1927.

The seating plan of its theater was significantly different from those of the older theaters, which had seats for the rich (with better sound and view of the stage) and separate seats for the common folk. In this complex the  rows were arranged to provide equal conditions to all visitors, in the style of an amphitheater.

The theater's occupancy was 2000 people. The complex also had a movie  theater, lecture hall, library, foyer, sports center, rooms where special  interest groups could meet, and more.

A.I.Gegello, the architect of the building, received the grand prize at the World Fair of 1937 in Paris.

Facing the Gorky Complex on the other side of the square is the Kirovsky Mall (it was originally called the Narvsky Mall).

The photo below shows a plaque mounted on one of the exterior walls for whatever reason. I don't know the story behind its origin.

The building itself was constructed as a food processing plant from 1928-1931. Apparently, it was the first establishment of the sort in the nation. Its architects are A.Barutchev, I.Gilter, I.Meerzon and J.Rubanchik.
In 1955 the "Narvskaya" subway station was built next to the Gorky Complex  by architects A.Vasilyev, S.Speransky and D.Goldgor. Goldgor was evidently in charge.

"Narvskaya" was one of the first subway stations in St. Petersburg.

It's a miracle that this giant mural can still be seen on a wall next to the Gorky Complex. It was completed in 1967 for the 50th anniversary of the October Revolution.
If we follow the Stachek Prospect a little further, we'll find Traktornaya (Tractor) Street branching out on our left. 

Here 16 residential buildings for workers were constructed from designs of architects A.Gegello and A.Nikolsky in place of a large empty lot. The style of the buildings is the same as that of the Gorky Complex and the Kirovsky Mall - constructivism.

Typical of this area is that there are no "well-style" buildings. Each one is located at a reasonable distance from the other, and that allows for some recreation areas. Arches connect those areas to the street.

Unfortunately, these buildings haven't been repaired in a very long time.
I purposefully don't show them in my photos. Instead, I would like to offer this photograph of what the area looked like originally.
These apartment buildings are the first residential complex to be built after the revolution. The name "Traktornaya" has to do with the Kirov Plant  located nearby. This is where the first tractor in the country was built.
Let's take a look back at the Stachek Square before moving on to the next square...

As you have probably already noticed, different photos appear on the front page. Some make it into the albums and some don't. A new link there will  take you straight to an archive with all the previous photos..

 

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