House of Culture named after Rusakov

The need for culture houses

In the early Soviet period, clubs became part of a new state program aimed at educating industrial workers, and in the 1920s and 1930s they occupied an important place in the urban planning system of new socialist cities ^[4] . At the Petrograd Citywide Conference of Workers' Clubs in 1920, the main social functions of the houses of culture (DK) were determined: institutions were supposed to contribute to the development of drama groups, musical education of the masses, visual arts and museums, physical education and sports ^[5] .

Initially, clubs occupied empty premises - mansions, churches or other buildings that lost their function after the revolution ^{[6] [7]} . In 1926, the Presidium of the Moscow City Council of Trade Unions adopted a decree on the mandatory deduction of 10% of the cultural fund for the construction of clubs and palaces of culture in work centers and new areas of the city ^[8] . Architects began to receive massive orders from trade unions for the development of buildings. Some trade unions published collections of standard projects for clubs, but they did not give a clear idea of ​​the design principles in each particular case - the final decision on the layout of the building and its appearance was left to the architect ^{[9] [10]} .

In 1927, the industrial unions of Moscow and the Moscow Region funded thirty new clubs, nine of which were supposed to be built in the capital ^[8] . Due to the tight construction time, the trade unions did not organize open competitions , but more often they gave orders to architects directly ^[11] . The author of the pavilions " Makhorka " at the All-Union Exhibition of Artists and the pavilion of the USSR at the 1925 International Exhibition in Paris, Konstantin Melnikov , who managed to earn a reputation as an innovator, carried out projects of six Moscow clubs: DK Rusakov and Frunze , the club of the Dulevo Porcelain Factory , " Freedom ", " Rubber ", The Petrel ^{[6] [12]} .

The order for the club came from the Union of Communal Services for workers of the nearby Sokolniki tram park and car repair shops ^{[13] [14]} . The House of Culture was named after the revolutionary and one of the leaders of the Sokolniki Organization of the Bolshevik Party, Ivan Rusakov , in whose honor the tram depot, street and embankment in Moscow are named ^[15] .

Construction and Features

The building is located on a small site and has the shape of a sector - in the continuation of the auditorium, which occupies 70% of the total area of ​​the room. This building by Konstantin Melnikov is the first construction in the world where the balconies of the amphitheater are brought out and placed in characteristic ledges on the facade ^[16] . According to the idea of ​​Melnikov, the building was supposed to serve for mass cultural work - sports, theater and lectures and to encourage self-organization ^[17] . In order to increase the scenarios for the use of the premises, the architect developed a project of moving partitions ^[18] . According to the project, three balconies could be separated from the main hall by vertical screens , forming separate audiences for 180 people ^{[19] [20]} . Thus, the capacity of the hall ranged from 250 to 1,500 visitors. To implement the idea, the help of mechanical specialists was required, since ordinary engineers had no experience in the construction of butterfly valves for walls and consoles with significant extension. In the 1920s, technological innovation was required to accomplish such tasks ^{[2] [21]} . The design of moving partitions was developed by N. I. Gubin ^[18] . Due to the large number of complex engineering solutions, the architect was not immediately able to coordinate the project in the Moscow City Council .

In the three upper halls, the moving walls had the following structure: at a height slightly higher than the height of a person, the wall was divided in half. The upper, most of it, with the help of an electric motor placed on the wall of the hall, rose up, describing a semicircle. At the same time, the lower part of the wall, connected to the upper system of steel cables, fell down. Both parts of the wall were balanced, while the weight of each of them was about 4 tons. In the two lower halls, the “living wall” weighing about 3 tons was a solid frame that descends with two rotating screws driven by a single electric motor ^[23] .

The middle tier of the auditorium had a flat floor and could transform into spaces for circle work - Konstantin Melnikov did not design separate rooms for this. The first floor was reserved for office space. The building also housed a library, circle rooms and a sports hall, which was later remade in the lobby . The entrance to the building was from below, and to exit it was possible to use an external balcony with two stairs attached to it. Thus, the architect satisfied the conditions of fire regulations and saved on space for emergency exits ^{[17] [18]} .

According to the project, window bindings were to be made of metal, but there was not enough material and they were made of wood. Such frames had low bearing capacity , as a result of which they were laid with bricks shortly after the start of operation of the building ^[25] .

The architecture of the club provoked a debate among contemporaries. The project was criticized due to the poor position of the mezzanine , from which the visibility of the scene was distorted. Another drawback of the project was that reinforced concrete beams supporting the deepened parts of the stalls drowned out the sound and impaired audibility on the balconies ^[20] . There was also a mismatch between the functions of the building - the auditorium occupied almost the entire room, leaving insufficient space for circles, and the gym in the final version was absent ^[26] . In 1932, when socialist realism was recognized as the official method in the architecture of the USSR , the building was declared an example of formalism in architecture. After 1936, Konstantin Melnikov stopped receiving large orders for construction and was actually excommunicated from the profession ^[27] .

Use and restoration

After World War II, the mobile screen system was dismantled. In the 1970s, the foyer of the club was lined with marble ^[18] . In 1987, the building was recognized as a monument of Soviet architecture . On March 31, 1990, the first congress of the LDPR party took place in the Palace of Culture ^[28] . For a long time, the club had free clubs and a children's theater. In 1996, the premises were leased to the Roman Viktyuk Theater, provided that the organization will restore the monument at its own expense. However, this condition remained unfulfilled, and part of the building was leased to the Baku Yard Restaurant ^{[29] [30]} .

Soon the club was included in the list of especially valuable objects of the World Foundation for Monuments of Architecture and received a grant in the amount of 20 thousand dollars ^[13] . With these funds, we made repairs to the roof and heating system of the building, and began the restoration of window blocks. However, the grant amount was not enough to fully restore the monument. The next restoration began in 2008 at the initiative of the Moscow government , but again the allocated money was not enough to complete the work ^[31] .

In 2012, the Moscow Department of Culture announced a tender for the repair and restoration of the building, which by that time was in disrepair. The order was received by the Dominante architectural and construction company ^[30] . The contractor was LLC AM-Stroy. For the full restoration of the monument, 152 million rubles were allocated ^[32] . With the start of work, the Viktyuk Theater and the restaurant were asked to leave the premises, but the owners of the latter refused to close. The restaurant director offered to finance the reconstruction of the building by investing $ 15 million in it, provided that the Roman Viktyuk Theater did not return to the recreation center, and a children's leisure center funded by a restaurant chain would be organized in its premises. The offer of the entrepreneur was rejected and the restaurant left the premises ^[33] .

Subsequent restoration lasted three years. In 2013, Vladimir Zhirinovsky announced his intention to use the club building for his party, since it was there that the first congress took place ^[13] . However, no official statement was sent to Roman Viktyuk, and the restoration, followed by adaptation to the theater, continued ^[34] . In the course of the work, the windows laid in with bricks were restored, the historical chairs and the inscription on the facade of the “Trade Unions-School of Communism” facade were restored ^[32] , dressing rooms, a hall for spectators, new utility rooms were created, heat and water supply systems were replaced, and a modern sound system was installed and lighting equipment for the stage ^[2] , a special elevator for people with disabilities was built, the presence of which was not provided for in the initial project. The total budget of the restoration project amounted to 500 million rubles ^[25] . In 2015, the restoration of the house of culture was completed ^[35] . The building was inaugurated by Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin ^[36] . However, the results of the work caused a number of criticisms from experts on the protection of heritage:

Nevertheless, in 2016, The Art Newspaper Russia newspaper nominated the House of Culture for the title Restoration of the Year ^[37] .

•  

  The main entrance to the club building, 2008

•  

  A plaque on the facade of the building with an error in the initials of I. V. Rusakov, 2008

•  

  View of the clubhouse from Babaevskaya street , 2008

•  

  View of the building from the yard, 2008

•  

  Facade after restoration, 2015

• In 1990, in the DC building, the Nautilus Pompilius group recorded several songs for their album “ At Random ” .
• In 2005, the Central Bank of Russia issued a silver commemorative coin "House of Culture named after Rusakov" with a face value of 3 rubles with a circulation of 10 thousand pieces ^[15] .
• At the Denkmal exhibition in Leipzig, the results of the restoration of the Palace of Culture were presented in the Moscow City Heritage Pavilion and received the first prize of the international jury ^[2] .
• In August 2015, the Shchusev Museum of Architecture for the 125th anniversary of Konstantin Melnikov prepared an exhibition of his work, held a series of events, and also released a book. Moscow photographer Denis Yesakov commissioned a museum to shoot twelve buildings of the architect ^[38] .
• In 2015, the building was presented at the exhibition of photographs "KONSTRUKTIVISMUS-DE-CONSTRUCTIVISM" by artist Vladimir Obrosov in the Russian-German house ^[15] .

• Macel O., Fosso M. Konstantin S. Mel'nikov and the Construction of Moscow. - Skira, 2001 .-- 312 p. - ISBN 9788881185399 .
• Pare R. Die verlorene Avantgarde. - Schirmer / Mosel Verlag GM, 2007 .-- ISBN 9783829602990 .
• Adamov O.I.K. S. Melnikov. The architectural word in its architecture. - M .: Architecture-S, 2006. - 144 p. - ISBN 5-9647-0091-8 .
• The architecture of the club building. 10 working clubs in Moscow. - Moscow; Leningrad: OGIZ - IZOGIZ, 1932. - 108 p.
• Vasiliev N., Ovsyannikova E., Vorontsova T., Tukanov A., Tukanov M., Panin O. Moscow architecture of the NEP and the First Five Year Plan. Guide. - abc Design, 2014 .-- 328 p.
• Konstantin Stepanovich Melnikov: The architecture of my life. Creative concept. Creative Practice / Ed. A. Strigaleva, I. Kokkinaki. - M: Art, 1985 .-- 311 p.
• Konstantin Melnikov. Drawings and projects: Exhibition catalog. - M: Soviet artist, 1989. - 125 p. - ISBN 978-5269001739 .
• Korobina I., Kuznetsov P., Chepkunova I. Frunze Club // Architect Konstantin Melnikov. Pavilions, garages, clubs and housing of the Soviet era. The Museum of Architecture A.V. Schuseva. - M: Kuchkovo field, 2015 .-- T. 4 .-- 192 p. - ISBN 978-5-9950-0553-7 .
• Lukhmanov N. Club architecture. - M: Teakinopechat, 1930 .-- 102 p.
• In the workshop of Melnikov // Rabis: journal. - 1929. - Issue. 46 .
• Khazanova V.E. From the history of Soviet architecture 1926-1932 Documents and materials. Work clubs and palaces of culture. - M .: Nauka , 1984 .-- 139 p.
• Khazanova V.E. Club life and club architecture, 1917-1941. - M: Giraffe, 2000 .-- 159 p. - (Avant Garde).
• Khan-Magomedov S.O. Konstantin Melnikov. - M .: Architecture-S, 2006. - 296 p. - ISBN 978-5-9647-0095-1 .