Theater Square (Moscow)

The original name is Petrovskaya Square, given by the Petrovsky Theater (the predecessor of the Bolshoi Theater), which, in turn, was named on Petrovka Street. Later, the name of the Theater was assigned to the square. In 1919 it was renamed Sverdlov Square (in honor of Y. M. Sverdlov, chairman of the Central Executive Committee, who worked in the building of the Metropol Hotel). In 1991, the square was returned to its historical name.

Background to the Square

The modern Theater Square is located directly to the west of the ancient channel of the Neglinnaya River , which made a turn to the southwest in this place and partially captures the channel of the Neglinnaya, which has been flowing in an underground pipe around the square since 1819.

At the end of the 15th century , the Cannon Yard was built on the left, eastern, bank of the Neglinnaya, and next to it was a bridge across the Neglinnaya. In 1516, Neglinnaya was blocked by a dam, having built a large pond below the Cannon Yard, and in 1534-1538 the wall of Kitai Gorod was built. The "water gates" of Kitai Gorod allowed, in the event of a siege, to take water directly from the river; in the XVII century they were laid. At this time, the route of Petrovka Street repeated the bend of Neglinnaya - Petrovka overlooked Bolshaya Dmitrovka - and there were shopping malls on it, and to the north - the Church of the Savior on Kopye, which gave the name to Kopievsky Lane ^[3] .

In 1707-1708 , the bastions of Kitai Gorod expanded, fearing a Swedish invasion , and Neglinnaya was allowed into a deep artificial moat.

In the fire of 1737, plots west of Neglinnaya burned to the ground and were occupied by the courtyards of the nobility - the princes Cherkassky , Golitsyn and others ^[3] . The school of architecture of Prince Ukhtomsky operated here. In 1786, they lowered the pond on Neglinnaya, and by 1792 they dug a new artificial channel for it.

According to the plan of 1775, it was planned to arrange several large areas around the Kremlin and Kitay-Gorod, including on the site of the future Theater. By that time, trees had grown on the bollards, and their steep slopes were reinforced with wooden beams ^[3] .

In 1780, Prince Urusov and the Englishman Medox, with the highest permissions, arranged the public Petrovsky Theater in the Golitsyn’s house (the theater was named after the square), which operated until October 8, 1805 (on that day the Mermaid was given at the theater, and rumor attributed the fire "Demonic" performance).

The emergence and development of the square

The area burned down again in September 1812 , and this time a wide area in modern outlines was projected on the ashes. On May 5, 1813, a special body, the Commission for the Building in Moscow, was approved to lead the construction of Moscow after the fire. In May 1814, the supervision of all buildings and the management of the entire “façade part” was assigned to the architect O. I. Bove ; in fact, Beauvais was entrusted with the leadership of the entire architectural part of Moscow restored after the fire ^[4] .

According to a prescription given in 1816 by the Cabinet of Ministers, the Commission for Buildings should have the square in front of the Petrovsky Theater “designated as a regular quadrangle, as EIV (Alexander I) with his own highest hand showed the pencil in a plan” ^[5] . On the “Projected Plan of the Capital City of Moscow” approved in 1817, Petrovskaya Square is shown in the lines indicated by Alexander I, but actually remained within the same limits as before the fire of 1812 ^[6] on March 20, 1818, the Moscow Commander-in-Chief A. P. Tormasov approved the plan of Petrovskaya Square prepared by engineer L. L. Carbonier ^[7] .

The architectural design of the square, developed by Osip Bove, with a change in its size relative to the plan of 1818, was approved by the emperor on November 10, 1821 ^[7] In 1817-1819 Neglinnaya was enclosed in a pipe between the mouth and Trubnaya Square, and in 1816-1823 earthworks were torn down around the wall Kitay Gorod, using the land to level the future Petrovskaya Square and driving towards Lubyanka Square (in some places the level was raised by 4 meters) ^[8] .

In 1816, Osip Beauvais was involved in the design of the future Theater Square. The final design of the square was approved in 1821. According to this plan, the area was supposed to be a rectangle, limited along the perimeter by four symmetrically standing buildings and divided in the middle by a passage. Beauvais located the building of the Petrovsky Theater on the longitudinal axis of the square, and on the opposite side, at an angle to the Kitay-Gorod wall - a square. The layout of the area under the guidance of Beauvais began in 1816 - five years before the final approval of the project. By 1819, Beauvais submitted to the Commission for Buildings projects of facades facing the area of ​​buildings. The longitudinal sides of the square were limited by four two-story buildings with open galleries in the first floors, covered with cross vaults, which visually expanded the area and were intended for trade. Beauvais accented the building ends facing the passage with increased three-story volumes with porticoes. The same rhythm of these buildings was supposed by Beauvais to emphasize the monumentality of the theater standing on the square ^{[9] [10] [11]} .

In 1820-1824, three houses with identical facades were built: Vargin’s house on the site of the Maly Theater , Poltoratsky’s house opposite and the house on the other side of the passage, then owned by the Senate Printing House ^[11] . In 1840, north of Teatralny Proezd, on the site of the modern Metropol Hotel , Chelyshev’s house was built, which closed a strictly symmetrical classic ensemble. Already in the 1840s, all four buildings, which, according to Bovet's intention, constituted a single ensemble of Theater Square, had windows on the first floors, instead of the originally constructed open galleries ^[12] .

The square was originally a drainage basin of the Mytishchi water supply , which in 1835 was decorated with a fountain by I.P. Vitali . On a high basement with mascarons- water-cannons stood four cupid-amours - Tragedy , Comedy , Poetry and Music . Initially, the fountain delivered 17 thousand buckets of water per day, supplied water to the “Yamu” debt prison and the baths of the merchant Chelyshev . In the 20th century, the fountain was stopped; its work resumed in 1995 ^[13] .

Most of the square, however, was not accessible to the public until 1911: there was an extensive parade parade , fenced with ropes on posts.

Next to the wall of Kitai Gorod there was a bird market , which was transferred to Trubnaya Square in 1851 .

On March 11, 1853, the Bolshoi Theater burned down and was restored by 1856 according to the design of A.K. Kavos .

In the last quarter of the 19th century, the square lost its former symmetry. The houses on the southeast side were rebuilt and became much higher than the Maly Theater lying opposite. At the beginning of the 20th century, the Metropol was built on the site of Chelyshev’s house, and in 1911, a public garden was built on the site of the parade ground.

Soviet time

With the beginning of Soviet power, in 1919 the square was renamed Sverdlov Square.

In 1934, it was necessary to cut down the square during the construction of the first metro line; at the launch of the Ploschad Revolyutsii station in 1938, it was restored.

In 1929, a monument to A. N. Ostrovsky was erected in front of the Maly Theater (sculptor N. A. Andreev , architect I. P. Mashkov , designed by F. O. Shekhtel ). In 1961, a monument to Karl Marx by L. Karbel was erected on the square.

In the 1970s, the building of the Synodal Printing House was demolished, and the second stage of the Moscow Hotel was built in its place. In 1978, a monument to Y. M. Sverdlov was erected on the square (sculptor R. E. Hambartsumyan, architect B. I. Thor ) ^[14] ; in 1991 the monument was removed.

Modern Period

In 1990, it was decided to return the area to the name Theater Square. In the 1990s, the idea was partially realized to restore the Kitaygorod wall. This was done precisely on the site overlooking Theater Square (in particular, the Round Tower ).

In 2004, the Moscow Hotel was demolished. In 2013, a remake was built in its place - at the same time, the facade facing the Theater Square was stylized as the facade of the Metropol Hotel opposite ^[15] .

Bolshoi Theater

In 1816, the Moscow Construction Commission announced a competition for the construction of a new theater building, a prerequisite for which was the inclusion in the construction of the burnt wall of the Medoks Theater ^[16] . The competition was attended by L. Dubois, D. Gilardi , F. Camporezi, P. Gonzago , A. N. Bakarev and other architects, but not a single project was accepted ^{[17] [18]} . The winner of the second competition was recognized as a project of the professor of the Imperial Academy of Arts A. A. Mikhailov ^[19] . However, Mikhailov’s project was considered too expensive, and the theater building he had conceived in its scale, which was excessively large, did not correspond to the surrounding buildings. The project was entrusted to the architect O. I. Bove , who completely preserved the foundations of Mikhailov’s composition, but significantly changed the proportions of the building, reducing its height from 41 to 37 meters, and also made significant adjustments to its exterior and interior decoration ^[20] . The project for the construction of the theater was approved on November 10, 1821 ; even before its approval, Beauvais began building the foundations of the theater according to his plan, while part of the foundations of the burnt building were preserved ^{[21] [22]} .

March 11 ( 23 ), 1853 the theater burned down; from the fire that lasted several days, only the stone external walls of the building and the colonnade of the portico survived ^[22] . Architects Konstantin Ton , A. S. Nikitin, Alexander Matveev and the chief architect of the Imperial Theaters Albert Kavos were involved in the competition for the restoration of the theater ^[23] . Won the Kavos project; the theater was restored in three years ^[24] . Basically, the volume of the building and layout were preserved, but Kavos increased the height of the building somewhat, changed the proportions and completely redesigned the architectural decor, designing the facades in the spirit of early eclecticism . ^[22] Instead of Apollo’s alabaster sculpture who died in a fire, a bronze quadriga by Peter Klodt was placed over the entrance portico . A gypsum double-headed eagle, the state emblem of the Russian Empire, was installed on the pediment.

Maly Theater

In 1824, according to the project of Beauvais, the architect A.F. Elkinsky rebuilt the mansion of the merchant Vargin for the theater, this building on Petrovskaya (now Theater) Square and gradually became known as the Maly Theater, and still bears this name. Initially, the building was narrower due to the excessive width of Neglinny passage. In 1838-1840, after adjoining plots were purchased, the architect Konstantin Ton completed the building to the existing volume and completely changed the internal layout ^[25] .

TSUM

In 1857, the Scots Andrew Muir and Archibald Merilis registered the trademark “Mur and Merilis”. From this moment, the history of the Central Department Store is counted. In 1880, businessmen moved to Moscow and three years later in 1885 they opened a shop for ladies hats and haberdashery Mur and Meriliz .

Two fires - in 1892 and in 1900 - entailed the construction of a new building. In 1908, a seven-story store was opened, designed by the architect Roman Klein in the Neo-Gothic style.

Youth Theater

Apartment building K. M. Poltoratsky : Shelaputin Theater . House No. 3 (No. 2 on Malaya Dmitrovka ),   monument of architecture (federal) . Built in 1821 according to the project of architect A. F. Elkinsky , rebuilt in 1889 by architect A. S. Kaminsky and civil engineer S. I. Tikhomirov and in 1902 architect R. I. Klein ^[26]

New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater

The building of the New Stage of the Bolshoi Theater was built from 1995 to 2002 on the site of historic apartment buildings ^[27] . Sketches of Leon Bakst , edited by Zurab Tsereteli, were used in the design of the ceiling of the auditorium ^[28] .

Administrative and auxiliary building of the Bolshoi Theater

The building of the former Rus Hotel was built in 1895 according to the project of architect V.P. Zagorsky. Here are rehearsal rooms and opera classes. Connected to the New Stage by an underground passage.

Subway Lobby

The building, which now houses the combined lobby of the Okhotny Ryad and Teatralnaya stations, was originally a mirror image of the Maly Theater building. The three-story part went to the corner of the square, and to the north the building was two-story. The house was rebuilt at the beginning of the 20th century, when it became owned by the Association of Owners of the Okhotnoryadsky and other houses in Moscow. The managing director of the partnership, the famous architect R. I. Klein , redid the facades of the building ^[29] .

The house was reconstructed again in 1935 according to the design of D. N. Chechulin , in connection with the arrangement of the lobby of the Okhotny Ryad metro station on the ground floor. The first floor was decorated in the form of a basement, where the entrance to the subway was located. The windows of the upper floors are divided by pilasters, on the entablature there is a balustrade ^[30] . On the upper floors of the building there was a museum of the Bolshoi Theater, as well as a dormitory of the theater ^[29] .

Metropol Hotel

The hotel building was built in 1899 - 1905 at the initiative of the entrepreneur and philanthropist S. I. Mamontov . A large team of architects, engineers and artists participated in the design and decoration of the hotel. The initial project was carried out by a civil engineer L. N. Kekushev .

Здание гостиницы — самое крупное в России общественное здание эпохи модерна и один из самых значительных московских историко-архитектурных памятников этого стиля. Многие архитектурно-градостроительные, композиционно-планировочные, конструктивные и декоративные приёмы, впервые в совокупности применённые при возведении «Метрополя», затем широко вошли в московскую строительную практику ^{[31] [32] [33]} .

Здание «Метрополя» играет исключительно важную роль в формировании облика Театральной площади и площади Революции.

Гостиница «Москва»

Для одной из первых пролетарских гостиниц был отведён участок в центре Москвы, ограниченный Охотным Рядом, Тверской улицей, площадями Революции и Свердлова ^[34] . В последнюю очередь предполагалось снести здание гостиницы «Континенталь» и кинотеатра «Востоккино» по площади Свердлова ^[35] . В 1931 году состоялся открытый конкурс проектов, который, однако, не принёс существенных результатов ^[36] . Поэтому был назначен закрытый конкурс. Участники конкурса Б. Таут, А. А. Кеслер и И. З. Ванштейн исходили из необходимости сохранения сложившегося ансамбля площади с Большим театром как доминантой, однако это было сочтено явным недостатком проекта, поскольку предполагалось, что новой доминантой должна стать гостиница, которая также открывала проектируемую аллею Ильича, ведущую к Дворцу Советов ^[37] . Согласно проекту Л. И. Савельева и О. А. Стапрана , на площадь выходил десятиэтажный корпус с полукруглым выступом в северной части для трибуны в виде портика с колоннадой. Также там предлагалось сделать мюзик-холл на 2000 мест. Этот проект и был выбран для реализации, однако мюзик-холл и трибуна так и не были построены, поскольку разрушали ансамбль площади ^[38] .

К строительству второй очереди гостиницы, включающей в себя корпуса по площадям Революции и Свердлова, приступили только в 1970-х годах. Авторы проекта — А. Б. Борецкий, А. А. Дзержкович, И. Е. Рожин, Д. С. Солопов и В. А. Щелкановцева. Сначала были снесены все старые здания в зоне строительства. На площадь Свердлова вышел пониженный шестиэтажный корпус, размеры которого соизмерялись с размерами других зданий на площади. По мнению А. В. Рогачёва, он прекрасно вписался в ансамбль площади ^[39] .

В 2000-х годах, после сноса гостиницы «Москва», произошло частичное восстановление её фасадов. Фасад по Театральной площади был сильно изменён — стилизован под фасад стоящей напротив гостиницы «Метрополь», а соединения с остальными корпусами были сделаны в виде стеклянных вставок ^[15] .

Южная сторона площади

• Памятник Карлу Марксу
• Памятник Александру Островскому
• Памятник Владимиру Высоцкому.

Советский художник Юрий Пименов изобразил Театральную площадь в 1937 году на картине «Новая Москва» .

• Станция метро « Театральная ».
• Автобус № м2, м3, м10, м27 , 38, 101, 144, 904 , К, Н1, Н2 .

• Либсон В. Я. , Кузнецова А. И. Большой театр СССР: История сооружения и реконструкции здания. — М. : Стройиздат , 1982. — 136 с.
• Нащокина, М. В. Московский модерн. — 3-е, пересм., испр. and additional .. - St. Petersburg. : Коло , 2011. — С. 392—398. — 792 с. : [32 с. цв. ил.] с. — 1 250 экз. — ISBN 978-5-901841-65-5 .
• Рогачев А. В. Москва. Великие стройки социализма. — М. : Центрполиграф, 2014. — 480 с. — ISBN 978-5-227-05106-6 .
• Рогачев А. В. Дмитровское шоссе. Расцвет, упадок и большие надежды Дмитровского направления. — М. : Центрполиграф, 2017. — 319 с. — ISBN 978-5-227-06633-6 .
• Романюк С. К. Сердце Москвы. От Кремля до Белого города. — М. : ЗАО Издательство Центрполиграф, 2013. — 909 с.
• Сытин П. В. Из истории московских улиц. — М., Московский рабочий, 1948. С. 45-49.
• Сытин П. В. Пожар Москвы в 1812 году и строительство города в течение 50 лет. — М. : Московский рабочий, 1972. — С. 5—6. - 400 p.
• Хрипунов Ю. Д. Архитектура Большого театра / Науч. ed. В. Е. Быков. — М. : Госстройиздат, 1955. — 248 с.
• Libson V. Ya., Domshlak M.I., Arenkov Yu.I. et al. Kremlin. China town. Central square // Monuments of architecture of Moscow . - M .: Art, 1983 .-- S. 483-484. - 504 s. - 25,000 copies.