Triumphant red gates. I live in a high-rise on the Red Gate. How the building was erected

The destruction of old Moscow did not begin today, although it is precisely today that the last - and therefore the most valuable - are being barbarously destroyed! - historical monuments. Most of all, the Bolsheviks tried to destroy Moscow, dreaming of wiping the first capital of Russia off the face of the earth and building a utopian city of the communist Sun in its place. And the first victim on June 3, 1927 fell the Red Gate - the Triumphal Arch, built by decree of Emperor Peter the Great in honor of the victory in the Battle of Poltava.

Actually, the first arch was wooden, and in 1753 the gate burned down. And then the Senate ordered to build new gates on the same place - stone, but in the same form. The work of restoring the triumphal Red Gate was entrusted to the sculptor and architect D. V. Ukhtomsky. An outstanding Russian architect developed a project for a new square, placing a triumphal gate in its center on a hill. Unlike the wooden gates, the new gates were a four-sided three-dimensional structure, designed for a circular view from all sides of the square. The gates were painted in marble, gilded and decorated with 8 gilded statues, symbolizing Courage, Fidelity, Abundance, Vigilance, Economy, Constancy, Mercury and Grace. At the top of the gate was a bronze statue of Glory (Fama) holding a palm branch and a trumpet.

Muscovites called it the Red Gate for its beauty and grace, according to the old Russian custom (in addition, the road to Krasnoye Selo passed through the arch - the gate stood across the current traffic on the Garden Ring).

During the great Moscow fire in 1812, the gates were burned. True, they were later restored.

Near the arch, the Lermontovs' house is visible.

The last time the Red Gate was repaired was under Soviet rule, in 1926. And at the end of the same year, they were on the list compiled by the municipal services department of the Moscow City Council, among the buildings to be demolished! The motivation was standard for those times: "... due to the narrowness of the place for the passage of vehicles."

It turns out that it was here that the cyclopean avenue of the Palace of the Soviets was supposed to pass, which cut through the city from the proposed stadium in Izmailovo through Stromynka, Komsomolskaya Square and further - through the odd side of 25th October Street (the former Nikolskaya) doomed to demolition, through the almost completely destroyed Volkhonka and Ostozhenka to Komsomolsky Prospekt and the South-West.

The public of Moscow has risen to protect the city sights. The architect A.V. Shchusev, artist A.M. Vasnetsov, Academician, Secretary of the USSR Academy of Sciences S.F. Oldenburg, Moscow Architectural Society. On January 10, 1927, the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR applied to the Presidium of the All-Russian Central Executive Committee with a request to suspend the demolition order. The letter stated that the Red Gate "is the only one of its kind, not only on an all-Union scale, but also on a global scale ... The Moscow Council's indication of an obstacle to traffic ... seems unconvincing, since the center of the square is always not used."

On April 6, the Moscow Department of Public Education sent a request to the Moscow Council to include the Red Gate "in the list of registered monuments." On April 16, the answer came: "... There is no need to include the Red Gate in the list of monuments."

Soon the gates were demolished.

Some decorative decorations of the Red Gate are preserved in the branch of the Museum of Architecture named after A.V. Shchusev (former Donskoy Monastery) and in the Museum of the History of the City of Moscow. The drawings of the gate, drawn up in 1932 by the architect S.F. Kulagin according to previously performed measurements. Alas, this is all that has survived from the magnificent monument of baroque architecture - the famous Red Gate.

The same fate befell the Church of the Three Hierarchs at the Red Gate in 1928. In 1814, M.Yu. Lermontov was baptized in this church. The court poet Demyan Bedny joyfully wrote:

"Nichola's cross was knocked down -
It became so light around!
Hello new Moscow
Moscow is new - crossless!"

The house where Lermontov was born was also demolished - a high-rise administrative and residential building was built in its place, on the lower floor of which the northern exit from the Krasnye Vorota metro station was arranged. The main exit from the Krasnye Vorta metro station was built in 1935 by the architect N.A. Ladovsky just on the site of the dismantled Red Gates.

During the great Moscow fire in 1812, the gates were burned. True, they were later restored.

Near the arch, the Lermontovs' house is visible.

Soon the gates were demolished.

The same fate befell the Church of the Three Hierarchs at the Red Gate in 1928. In 1814, M.Yu. Lermontov was baptized in this church. The court poet Demyan Bedny joyfully wrote:

"Nichola's cross was knocked down -
It became so light around!
Hello new Moscow
Moscow is new - crossless!"

In the post-war years, grandiose construction projects were launched throughout our country. The destroyed cities were rebuilt, and in the least affected, real symbols of the great victory over fascism were erected. Fanciful buildings with richly decorated facades, made in the Stalinist Empire style, still exist in many settlements in Russia today. There are especially many of them in Moscow, and the most famous among them are the "seven sisters" - the first Soviet skyscrapers. Among them is the administrative and residential skyscraper on the Red Gate.

Skyscrapers of Comrade Stalin

Many different legends are associated with the Moscow skyscrapers built under I. Stalin. According to one of them, there should have been not 7, but 8 skyscrapers. Solemn ceremonies for laying the first stone were held simultaneously for all designed buildings. The date and even the exact time for these events was not chosen by chance - on that day Moscow celebrated its 800th birthday.

Some mystics claim that the laying of the first stones of structures was carried out on the basis of astrological calculations. Be that as it may, the high-rise on the Red Gate and 6 more similar buildings were laid on September 7, 1947. The highest point of the Garden Ring was chosen for the construction of the skyscraper. Thanks to this ingenious solution, the building visually looks even larger and majestic.

Description and architectural features

The main architects of the project are A.N. Dushkin and B.S. Mezentsev. The house was commissioned in 1953. The high-rise on the Red Gate consists of three buildings isolated from each other. The central tower has 24 floors and is crowned with a spire. Two symmetrical wings with a height of 10-15 floors adjoin it on the sides. You can get from one building to another only through a common basement. The skyscraper, like other buildings from the "seven sisters", is distinguished by a pronounced stepped layout.

The grandeur of geometric shapes is emphasized by vertical pilasters running through the entire lower tier of the building. The facade is decorated with a large coat of arms of the USSR and other bas-reliefs with Soviet symbols. According to one version, in the original project, the skyscraper did not have a spire with a star. This element appeared solely at the request of Comrade Stalin himself. Perhaps this is just a beautiful myth, but today it is difficult to imagine the legendary Stalinist skyscrapers without bright stars.

The total height of the building is 138 meters. The Ministry of Transport Construction of the USSR was located in the central tower. Residential apartments were occupied by prominent workers of this and other organizations, as well as distinguished doctors and teachers.

The mystery of building a house on Sadovaya-Spasskaya

In the left wing of the legendary building is the exit from the Krasnye Vorota metro station. This feature required the most complex engineering calculations and the use of innovative technologies in construction. Part was erected directly above the foundation pit of the metro station. In order to avoid the collapse of the building during its construction, part of the soil was artificially frozen. But even this bold decision would not have prevented the subsequent shrinkage of the building.

The high-rise on the Red Gate was built with a slope. And after the natural shrinkage of the soil, the building deviated and took the correct position. This technology was very bold and risky for its time. Subsequently, it was no longer used.

How is the skyscraper on the Red Gate different from its "sisters"?

Sadovaya-Spasskaya 21/1 is the address of one of the Stalinist skyscrapers, better known as the house on the Red Gate. It is worth noting that this skyscraper differs in many respects from the other six buildings. This skyscraper is the lowest among the 7 "sisters". But due to the favorable location of the house, this difference is not visually noticeable.

The Stalin skyscraper on the Red Gate cannot boast of rich interior decoration. There are no theatrical chandeliers and mosaics in its lobbies. Everything is simple enough for a house of this magnitude, but with taste and moderate gloss. The apartments are predominantly two- and three-room, characterized by a small number of square meters and an inconvenient layout. But happy newcomers could enjoy high ceilings, wooden parquet and typical furniture, ideally suited to the size of the room.

Remarkably, in most apartments there was a special room for a housekeeper. There is also a small number of luxurious five-room apartments in the famous high-rise. Once they were occupied by ministers and other high officials.

High-rise building on the Red Gate: history and our days

For its time, the house on Sadovo-Spasskaya was notable for its perfectly thought-out infrastructure. A kindergarten was located in one of the residential buildings of the skyscraper. The building has underground parking. In the basements of the skyscraper, bomb shelters were built with everything necessary in case of an emergency evacuation.

According to the legends, there is even a swimming pool with a large supply of clean water under the Stalinist skyscraper. Address Sadovaya-Spasskaya 21/1 today can be found in many travel brochures.

What is the modern fate of the legendary building? Today, the central tower still houses the Ministry of Transport Engineering, the Transstroy corporation, the Moscow Currency Exchange, a bank, and a number of other organizations. The side buildings are occupied by residential apartments, and various shops and offices are open on the ground floors.

How to get there and is it possible to get on a tour inside?

Where is the Stalinist skyscraper on the Red Gate located? Address of the legendary house: Sadovaya-Spasskaya street, 21. The easiest way to get here is by metro. You need to go to the Krasnye Vorota station, the northern exit from which is located directly in the building of interest to you. It is quite difficult to get into the central building - the building has a serious security and access regime. But guests are allowed into residential buildings, and sometimes some of the old residents even organize private tours.

Initially, the Red Gate, called the Triumphal Gate, was the first triumphal arch in Russia. They were built of wood by order of Peter I in honor of the victory in 1709 over the Swedes in the Battle of Poltava of the Northern War in 1709.

Subsequently, his wife, Catherine I, replaced them with new ones in honor of her own coronation in 1724.

unknown , Public Domain

After 8 years, this arch burned down in a big fire and was restored in 1742 on the occasion of the coronation of Elizabeth Petrovna for the solemn cortege, which was supposed to pass from the Kremlin to the Lefortovo Palace through this building.

In 1748 there was another fire, and this gate burned down again. The reasons for such extraordinary decisions in the construction of wood are not completely clear.

In 1753, D. V. Ukhtomsky built a stone arch, which exactly repeated the wooden arch built by the architects of Catherine I. It was a typical example of the Baroque style, with blood-red walls, snow-white relief, golden capitals and more than 50 bright drawings that personified “The Majesty of the Russian Empire”, the coats of arms of the Russian provinces, etc. Above the span of the arch was a portrait of Elizabeth, surrounded by a brilliant halo, which was subsequently replaced by a double-headed eagle for the coronation of Nicholas I in 1825. The construction was crowned with a bronze statue of a trumpeting angel, which is now on display at the State Historical Museum, in front of the hall of Peter I.

On October 3 (15), 1814, M. Yu. Lermontov was born in the house of Major General F. N. Toll opposite the Red Gate (now there is a high-rise building on this place, on which there is a memorial plaque with the image of M. Yu. On October 23, in the Church of the Three Hierarchs at the Red Gate, the newborn was baptized.

unknown , Public Domain

Attempts to demolish the Red Gate arch were made by the Moscow authorities as early as the middle of the 19th century. So in 1854 it was saved from demolition only thanks to the petition of A. I. Delvig.

The arch and the nearby Church of the Three Saints were demolished in 1927, during the expansion of the Garden Ring, in accordance with the redevelopment plan. The area where they were located is now called the Red Gate Square.

In 1935, a metro station of the same name was opened on this site, and in 1953, one of the Stalinist skyscrapers rose above the square. In 1962 the square was renamed Lermontovskaya. It was renamed Red Gate Square in 1986.

Some decorative elements are in the Museum of the History of Moscow. The question of recreating the arch was raised several times, however, due to the traffic congestion of the square, its restoration is unlikely.

The history of the capital's Red Gate Square - the memory of the military and construction victories of Russia

Square near the Krasnye Vorota metro station (Photo: Konstantin Kokoshkin / Global Look)

Red Gate Square is one of the most famous place names in the city, which arose long before Moscow formed within its current borders. Its history dates back to 1709, when Emperor Peter I ordered the construction of a triumphal gate on Myasnitskaya Street near Zemlyanoy Gorod (today's Zemlyanoy Val) in honor of the victory of Russian troops in the Battle of Poltava. It was these low (less than 10 m) wooden gates that became the first triumphal arch in Russia, which was completely rebuilt several times over two hundred years.

The first transformation of the gate is associated with the name of Empress Catherine I - in 1724, on her orders, a new one, also wooden, was erected on the site of the Peter's arch. Ten years later, the building burned down and was restored already during the reign of Elizabeth Petrovna.

Russian empire. Moscow. The Red Gate, designed by the architect Dmitry Ukhtomsky in the middle of the 18th century (from the materials of the USSR Architectural Museum). Reproduction of TASS Newsreels (Photo: TASS Newsreel)

In 1753-1757 the gates were destroyed again as a result of a strong fire. Their enlarged copy (the building was 26 m higher than the previous one), but already in stone, was recreated by the chief architect of Moscow, Dmitry Ukhtomsky, who also developed a project for a new square, in the center of which a baroque triumphal arch towered. At the same time, the name Red, that is, beautiful, was fixed behind the triumphal gates.

Old Moscow. Red Gate, architect D.V. Ukhtomsky. /Reproduction of TASS Newsreels, 1954 (Photo: TASS Newsreel)

The bright red gates were decorated with stucco, gold capitals, bronze figures depicting the coats of arms of the provinces of the Russian Empire, as well as eight statues that personified Courage, Loyalty, Abundance, Vigilance, Economy, Constancy, Mercury and Grace. The arch was crowned with a portrait of Elizabeth Petrovna and a bronze statue of a trumpeting angel.

Red gate. 1902 (Photo: TASS Newsreel)

In the 19th century, they tried to demolish the Red Gate three times, but each time they had defenders. The fate of the construction of Ukhtomsky was decided by the Bolsheviks, who decided to demolish the arch, which prevented the passage of trams. In 1927, during the redevelopment of Moscow according to the project of Lazar Kaganovich, the Red Gates were dismantled and remained only in the name of the square.

Metro station "Lermontovskaya" (now - "Red Gate"). 1985 (Photo: Oleg Ivanov / TASS photo chronicle)

Under this square in May 1935, as part of the first section of the Sokolnicheskaya line of the Moscow metro, the Krasnye Vorota station (in 1962-1986 - Lermontovskaya) was opened, for which architect Ivan Fomin and designer Alexander Denishchenko in 1937 received the Grand Prix for World Exhibition in Paris. Both the vaulted hall of the station, made of red marble, and its southern vestibule, designed by the architect Nikolai Ladovsky, refer to the image of the triumphal gates of Ukhtomsky.

Sadovo-Chernogryazskaya street. View of the high-rise at the Red Gate. 1961 (Photo: Naum Granovsky/TASS Newsreel)

In 1952, one of the seven Stalinist skyscrapers was built next to the square, designed by the chief architect of the Central Architectural Workshop of the Ministry of Railways Alexei Dushkin. The choice was not accidental: the skyscraper was partly owned by the Ministry of Railways (MPS), whose employees subsequently settled in the residential part of the building. The initial project of Dushkin and his co-author Boris Mezentsev bore little resemblance to what we see now, says the granddaughter of the architect, historian and professor at Moscow Architectural Institute Natalia Dushkina.

Instead of a pointed spire, with which all Stalinist skyscrapers are crowned, it was supposed to install a helmet-shaped dome here - Stalin ordered so. As a result, the house looked like a stingy hero in armor and a helmet - an homage to the Russian warrior who won the just ended war. However, later this idea was abandoned due to the technical complexity of the concept - the “helmet” turned out to be too heavy for the fragile structure of the building. Moreover, its construction at some point turned out to be close to collapse in the truest sense of the word.

South entrance to the Krasnye Vorota metro station (Photo: Nikolay Galkin/TASS)

Unlike six other skyscrapers, Dushkin's building was connected to the metro: the building rises directly above the Krasnye Vorota station, which until 1952 had only one, southern exit. Dushkin insisted on building a second exit on the opposite side of the Garden Ring. Above the sloping slope in the subway was the heaviest frame of the building, blocking Kalanchevskaya street for construction meant paralyzing traffic along the main city highway.

High-rise building on Red Gate Square (Photo: Vasily Shitov/TASS)

Then Dushkin, together with design engineer Viktor Abramov, proposed to freeze the ground, and build the frame of the building with a counter-roll to the left by 16 centimeters. According to their calculation, when the ground thaws, the building will gradually lower, as a result of which the frame will straighten. Nobody in the world did anything like that then (as they did not do it after). The experiment ended successfully, the only thing the architects miscalculated was the timing: instead of the planned two or three years, it took almost ten years to level the high-rise.