Next few albums are about Lesnoy (Forest) Prospekt. We will look at its end some other time, but now will start from the intersection of Lesnoy Pr. and Kantemirovskaya Street.
And the reason is very simple: this is where subway station "Lesnaya" is located. It was built in 1975 (low building across the street). For many years this place had suddenly become the end of the subway line - because the tunnel was broken between Lesnaya and Muzhestva Square station. As a result, there was unbelievable amount of people and automobile traffic here, especially during rush hours.
These days, despite the fact that subway is fully restored few months ago, quite a lot of mass transit routes come here. And for people it's tough to change their habitual paths.
Just a bit to the right: really remarkable building of mid-1930s (61 Lesnoy). This is so called "Professional's House".
The shot is taken from Kantemirovskaya Street (subway "Lesnaya" is on the left, Lesnoy Pr. is to the right).
The building is designed by G.A. Simonov in cooperation with T.D. Kanzenellenbohen, B.R. Rubanenko, and L.K. Abramov. Construction of 1934-37.
I was always curious: these semi-transparent glass elements, similar to ones we often saw in public restroom's design before perestroika; when they really started using it
Most likely in mid-1930s the glass was some different kind, wasn't it?
Further, two memorial plaques are on the wall.
"Artist Nathan Altman lived in this building from 1937 till 1970"
(plaque was set in 2000).
"The outstanding scientist, engineer, founder of domestic radio broadcasting, corresponding member of Academy of Science, professor Mikhail Alexandrovich Bonch-Bruevich lived in this building in 1934-1940".
I assume this plaque is set at about the same time as the previous one.
We came to the major intersection, so for a moment let's shift out attention from "Professional's House".
Diagonally across there is another building of Stalin era. If we are to believe the map, it is housing Special Machine-building Design Bureau. But it was build in 1938 for Paper Industry's technical school, designed by the same architect G.A. Simonov right after the "Professional's House".
Here is a view toward the end of Lesnoy Pr. But as I said before we won't go there today. We will walk in opposite direction. If you wonder what is this building with banner "BCC" - previously it was some R&D institute.
Well, we are coming back to "Professionals House", but now we see it from Lesnoy Prospekt (no, building is not round - it's panoramic photo effect).
More details.
If we are to believe one of the guidebooks, then the original design was pure constructivism: no decorations at all. They were added later, and I'd say very fitting.
You see all various details, traditional symbols of trade: ears, sickle, perforator, crane, cog, etc.
"Citizens! During the artillery strike this side of the street is most DANGEROUS" ("This sign is preserved to memorize the courage and heroism of the people of Leningrad in 900-days of the siege").
The similar sign is kept in the beginning of Nevsky Prospekt.
One more memorial plaque:
"Vitaly Khlopin, Member of Academy of Science, and distinguished Russian chemist, lived in this building in 1945-1950"
We can add that the following famous people lived here, too:
historian V.V. Danilevsky, actor G.G. Ge, philologist L.V. Scherba, writer A.I. Kuprin. In apartment 233 (later renumbered to 217) in block D: I.V. Kurchatov, nuclear-physicist.
The guidebook also listed S.P. Korolyov, rocket-scientist, but I was told later that he never actually lived in Leningrad.
We observed the main entrance. Let's go to the yard now.
Ceiling decoration in the passage.
As you see, the look from the yard much more modest than the frontal one.
In this sense (unbalanced front/back decorations) Stalin era buildings are using the example of pre-Revolution architecture, even though not to the full extent.
And at last the house across the street: 60 Lesnoy Pr, formerly rental house built in 1900 by design of A.M. Kovsharov. The top floor is the latest addition.
These days one of the police services is located here.
In the next album we will continue along the Lesnoy Prospekt, with some side-trips inside the blocks.
