I must say that the press conference left a very strange impression. The director of the museum Elena Gagarina and several of her deputies spoke in a calm and benevolent tone about the history of the project and what exactly the construction of the depository should give to the museum. And to all questions about the style and artistic qualities of the architectural project - recall that critics have already recognized it as ugly - the leaders of the museum just shrugged their shoulders: "We did not make this decision." In particular, the 94th federal law "On placing orders for the supply of goods, performance of work, provision of services for state and municipal needs" was repeatedly mentioned, which prohibits the customer, firstly, to cancel the results of the competition, and secondly, to interfere in the spheres, outside its competence. In this case, we are talking about the architectural solution of the complex - the museum could have influenced its functionality and layout, but questions of aesthetics have nothing to do with the economy. And although this law was adopted in 2005, and the project appeared much earlier, in 1997, museum workers consider it their duty to comply with the requirements of the 94th Federal Law. Although we admit that from the outside, this law-abiding position looks like a noble justification for inaction. This is understandable: the museum has been promised additional living space for twenty years, and now the state is finally ready to keep its word - is it aesthetics in this situation?
Strictly speaking, there is no doubt that a depository and restoration complex is necessary for the museums of the Moscow Kremlin. The museum, located, if not under the same roof, then in the same fortress walls with the apparatus of the head of state, by definition has nowhere to expand. For example, the Armory today exhibits only 10 percent of its collection and receives fewer than 2,000 visitors a day. Back in 1991, the President of the Russian Federation instructed the Moscow authorities to select a site for the construction of additional museum areas. Naturally, the museum was interested in the location of this site not in a residential area, but as close as possible to the Kremlin itself. And the cherished place - oh, miracle! - found: at the intersection of Manezhnaya Street and Borovitskaya Square. True, this is where the positive miracles in this story ended. In 1995, a competition was announced for a pre-design proposal for the future complex (the museum's management emphasizes that it was an international competition, but do you remember many international competitions of those years in which good Western architects would really participate?). The work of Evgeny Rozanov was recognized as the best pre-project. Then, in 2003, another competition was held - to select an organization-developer of the project for the building of the complex, and it was Mosproekt-2, and the project went to workshop No. 7, which is headed by the architect Vladimir Kolosnitsyn.
Another pre-project of Evgeny Rozanov assumed an L-shaped plan and "classic" facades. In the editorial office of Mosproekt-2, the volume grew and matured, put on marble-granite armor and acquired a massive dome. Of course, all this did not happen overnight. For example, back in May 2008, the Russian Committee for UNESCO approved a much less defiant version of the depository without a dome - the glass "turban" was screwed on to the building later, and this option was approved, despite the resistance of experts, at the Public Council under the Moscow Mayor. As a result, today, between the Kremlin and the Pashkov House, the construction of a large (23 thousand square meters) building with a dome and columns has begun, which, with the light hand of the chief architect of the city, Alexander Kuzmin, is now all called Empire style.
Let us remind (see press selection) that when a construction fence appeared on Borovitsky Hill last week, the Arkhnadzor public movement tried to stop the work that had begun. However, the presence of all permits brought this impulse to naught. Then the heritage defenders wrote an open letter to Russian President Dmitry Medvedev with a request to hold additional public discussions of the project. A week ago, in response to criticism, Alexander Kuzmin told reporters that Borovitskaya Square appeared less than 30 years ago and cannot claim the status of a heritage site. Today's speech by the management of the Kremlin Museums continued the line of defense of the project, now, let's say, from an economic and practical point of view. After all, the museum needs new premises, with this, as mentioned above, it is difficult to argue.
Answering journalists' questions, Elena Gagarina stressed more than once that even a change in the Moscow authorities would not be able to influence the final appearance of the depository. The defenders of the heritage, however, adhere to a different point of view: it is known that the now former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov spoke out for the construction of a building with a belvedere dome at the Public Council, and this leaves hope that the project can be revised in connections with a change of leadership. Member of the Public Chamber Marat Gelman has already made a statement that he is going to file a corresponding complaint with the Prosecutor General's Office. Well, there is still a little time: so far, not the construction itself has begun on Borovitsky Hill, but only the archaeological excavations preceding it. Archi.ru will follow the development of the situation.
