AVANT-GARDE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST MODERN ARCHITECTURE AND TOWN-PLANNING IN THE URALS 1920-30S TATYANA BUDANTSEVA AVANT-GARDE BETWEEN EAST AND WEST MODERN ARCHITECTURE AND TOWN-PLANNING IN THE URALS 1920-30S Proefschrift ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Technische Universiteit Delft, op gezag van de Rector Magnifi cus prof. dr. ir. J.T. Fokkema, voorzitter van het College voor Promoties, in het openbaar te verdedigen op maandag 17 december 2007 om 12.30 uur door Tatyana Yevgenyevna BUDANTSEVA architect (Rusland) geboren te Sverdlovsk, Oeral, Rusland Dit proefschrift is goedgekeurd door de promotor: Prof. dr. F. Bollerey Toegevoegde promotor: Dr. O. Máčel Samenstelling promotiecommissie: Rector Magnifi cus, voorzitter Prof. dr. F. Bollerey, Technische Universiteit Delft, promotor Dr. O. Máčel, Technische Universiteit Delft, toegevoegde promotor Prof. dr. M.C. Kuipers, Universiteit Maastricht Prof. dr. V.J. Meyer, Technische Universiteit Delft Prof. dr.-ing. B. Kreis, Georg-Simon-Ohm-Fachhochschule Nürnberg, Duitsland Prof. dr. M. Shtiglits, Staats Universiteit voor Architectuur en Bouwkunst, Sankt-Petersburg, Rusland Dr. A. Jäggi, Bauhaus-Archiv Vertaling naar het Engels: Tatyana Budantseva Valentina Grigorieva Dorothy Adams Ontwerp: Tatyana Budantseva © Tatyana Budantseva © Zjoek Publishers ISBN 978-90-812102-2-5 CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 9 INTRODUCTION 11 Description of plan, structure and method 14 Selection of the cities 15 Defi nition of the term “constructivism” 15 LITERATURE REVIEW 17 General information on the Modernism and Socialist Realism 17 Russian sources 17 Russian studies 18 Western studies 19 Socialist Realism 20 Information on Modern architecture in Sverdlovsk and the Ural region in the 1920-30s 21 Sources 21 Russian studies 22 Western studies 23 Notes Literature Review 28 CHAPTER I 29 MODERN MOVEMENT IN THE USSR 29 The Early 1920s: Formation of the “New Style” 30 The First Steps of Soviet Architecture 30 The New Tasks 32 Professional Contacts, International Cooperation 34 The Second Half of the 1920s: From Theory to Practice 36 The Establishment of Creative Platforms 36 OSA – the Absolute Leader of International Contacts 37 Welcome to Foreigners 38 The Turn of the 1920s: the First Five-Year Plan for Industrialisation 40 The Tasks of the Transition Period 40 OSA and Socialist Settlement 41 The Large-Scale Arrival of Foreign Specialists 45 Town-planning Discussion or a Political Debate? 49 The Middle and the Second Half of the 1930s: Preparations for the War 54 The Change of Aesthetic Ideals 54 Off With Foreign Spies and Agent Provocateurs! 57 Summary of the fi rst chapter 58 Notes Chapter I 60 CHAPTER II 63 AVANT-GARDE AND CONSTRUCTION OF THE URAL CITIES 63 The History of Town-planning in the Urals 64 The XI to XVII Centuries. The Urals is Subordinated to Russia 64 The XVIII Century. Industrial Expansion 67 The XIX and the Beginning of the XX Centuries. Regular Layouts and Crisis of the Capitalist City 70 The 1920-30s. Socialist Industrialisation of the Urals 73 The Strategy of Social and Economic Development 73 Systems of Settling 75 Industrial Architecture 77 Construction of Cities 81 Magnitogorsk 89 Orsk-and-Khalilovsky Region 97 Orsk 98 Orenburg 100 Mednogorsk 101 Greater Ufa 104 Greater Chelyabinsk 108 Chelyabinsk 109 Bakal 114 Greater Tagil 115 Vagonstroi – Carriage Plant 119 The Region of the Metallurgical Plant 120 Kamensk’s Industrial Hub 122 Greater Perm 125 Perm 127 Gorodskiye Gorki 129 Nizhny-Kuryinsk 131 Greater Berezniki 132 Summary of the second chapter 134 Notes Chapter II 138 CHAPTER III 143 SVERDLOVSK IN THE YEARS OF BIG CONSTRUCTION 143 Planning under Conditions of a Building Boom 144 Perspectives of the Greater Sverdlovsk 150 The Parizhskoy Communy Square 153 Bolshoy Sintetichesky Teatr – the Big Synthetic Theatre 157 Dom Promyshlennosty – the House of Industry 161 The Bolshoi Ural Hotel 165 Club Stroiteley – Builders’ Club 166 Gorodok Chekistov – The Security Offi cers’ Block 167 OSA and Housing Construction in Ekaterinburg 171 The Uraloblsovnarkhoz House 171 The Gospromural Houses 173 New Typology in the City Centre Reconstruction 176 Fabrika Kukhnia – the Kitchen Factory 176 Physical Culture and Health Institutions 176 Medgorodok – The Medical Institutions District 179 Gorodok Justitsii – the Justice Block 181 VTUZgorodok – The Technical Institutes District 182 Uralmash Residential District – An Example of an Implemented Sotsgorod 186 Ural Section of OSA 187 P. Oransky’s Method in Design of Sotsgorod Uralmash 190 The UZTM Water Tower and its surroundings 194 Departure from Constructivist Concepts 198 Summary of the third chapter 200 Notes Chapter III 202 EPILOGUE 205 MODERNIST HERITAGE OF SVERDLOVSK IN TODAY’S EKATERINBURG 205 Tabula Rasa Versus Palimpsest 206 Questions to be Answered 208 CONCLUSIONS 215 Notes Conclusions 219 BIBLIOGRAPHY 221 Russian sources 222 Russian publications before 1945 222 Books 222 Periodicals 223 Russian publications from 1946 until now 229 Books 229 Periodicals 232 Dissertations 233 Memoirs (unpublished) 233 Archives 234 Internet sources 234 Western sources 235 Western publications before 1945 235 Books 235 Periodicals 235 Western publications from 1946 until now 235 Books 235 Periodicals 237 Dissertations 237 Archives 238 Internet Sources 238 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 239 Illustrations of Chapter I 240 Illustrations for Chapter II 242 Illustrations for Chapter III 247 Illustrations for Epilogue 252 CURRICULUM VITAE 253 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS tion of the old periodicals. My husband Marcel port. My biggest appreciation goes to: professor Schreurs rendered me assistance with preparation Vladimir Blinov, professor Lyudmila Kholodova, Writing a survey of such wide range does not of the book. professor Viktor Kolyasnikov, professor Aleksan- just happen. This page is dedicated to those who dre Barabanov and doctor Oksana Makhneva. helped me with my work. This study was made possible by the opportu- nity to conduct archival research and fi eldwork Thanks to Ildar Ziganshin, a photographer from First of all I would like to express my gratitude in the Urals. For this opportunity and kindest co- Ekaterinburg, for providing me with the supreme to my professor Franziska Bolerey, for giving me operation I’ am particularly thankful to: the mu- quality images of the avant-garde heritage in this great opportunity to conduct and accomplish seum of Architecture and Industry of the Urals in Ekaterinburg. this PhD thesis at the History department. Ekaterinburg and especially Galina Medvedeva, My appreciation and admiration goes to my su- the senior staff member; the Uralmash museum I’m grateful to Andrey Likin, an architect and pervisor Otakar Máčel. Due to his outstanding in Ekaterinburg and especially Nina Obukhova, teacher from Ekaterinburg, for sharing with me his professional knowledge and his careful guidance the senior staff member; the Shchusev State Mu- recollections about the architects I. Antonov and this research gained its defi nitive shape. seum of Architecture in Moscow and especially P. Oransky whom he knew personally. Getting a Igor Kazus, the vice-director; the resort-museum picture of personal views of these two signifi cant Had I not met Rob Docter, who by that time of Nizhny Tagil and especially Lilia Samoshkina, architects on their creations in Sverdlovsk-Ekat- worked at the Ministry for Education, Culture the director. erinburg was very enlightening. And the sad de- and Science I might never have got an ambition tails of their live stories, even though they did non for conducting research abroad. Without his as- Many thanks as well goes to Maxim Lopatin, an come into this survey, will remain very precious. sistance I might never have come to the Delft Uni- architect from Ekaterinburg who achieved a large versity. His interest in my work and trust in my historical database of Ekaterinburg, for his kind- Special mention goes to Dmitrij Chmelnizki, an professional potential were a true inspiration for est cooperation, making any information available architect and historian from Berlin, for a vivid dis- me. for my research and being a splendid companion cussion on the political matters behind the mass during our exploring tours in Ekaterinburg. dwelling construction within the industrialization Without my family looking after me, my work program. It pushed me to the further investigation would have been much harder. And they gave me I am grateful to people from the Ural State Acade- of this question. not only moral support. Anna Budantseva, my my of Architecture and Arts from whom I benefi t- mother, helped me great deal with the investiga- ed the breadth of learning and warm-hearted sup- Thanks to Adolfo Sotoca, an Ernst May research- er from Spain, for sharing with me his experience of working with the archives in Germany. I have obtained a good overview of the sources there that could be helpful connected to my work. I am grateful to Andrey Gozak, an architect from Moscow, for giving me the access to the archive of his late wife Irina Kokkinaki, who left a great deal of studies about connections between the So- viet and the Western modernists. I thank Andrey & Inna, the owners and inhabit- ants of an apartment in one of the most signifi cant monuments of avant-garde in Ekaterinburg, for letting me in and showing me around. And last but not least, I would like to thank my dearest friends Julia Saksonova, Bella Boeva and Konstantin Komardin for showing interest in my research and sustaining me in many ways during the fi eldwork activities. INTRODUCTION It looks as if the phenomenon of modernism in of such places. This area played an outstanding modern architects an excellent opportunity to test architecture is well explored these days. There are and in many respects a key role in the history of their theoretical works in practice, which resulted plenty of publications worldwide, telling pictorial the fi rst and the second Five-Year Plan periods. in the appearance of the avant-garde architecture stories about Soviet constructivism and Western And without having a good picture of the devel- and town-planning in the Urals.