The Alexander Palace, built by Giacomo Quarenghi in 1792-1796 for Tsarevich Alexander Pavlovich (the future Alexander I), is one of the undoubted masterpieces of Russian classicism. However, the real "golden age" for him was the years of the reign of Nicholas II, who was born within these walls in 1868 and chose Tsarskoe Selo as his place of permanent residence after 1905. The court life of the last monarch was notable for its intimacy: the imperial chambers occupied a small part of the palace - the East Wing, the interiors of which were refurbished at the beginning of the 20th century according to the designs of Roman Melzer and Silvio Danini. Here the abdicated emperor and members of his family were under arrest from March to August 1917, after which they were exiled to Siberia and shot by the Bolshevik government.
The building of the Alexander Palace, significantly damaged during the occupation, after the war was transferred to the USSR Academy of Sciences to house the Literary Museum. The goal of the post-war restoration of the palace was "to recreate the period of Quarenghi and Pushkin," and the interiors of the early twentieth century were restored only in 1997 - in a simplified form for the filming of Gleb Panfilov's film "The Romanovs. Crowned family ". Subsequently, a permanent exhibition dedicated to the life of the royal family was opened in these "decorations". The reconstruction proposed by Nikita Yavein's workshop is intended to give a full-fledged sound to this topic, which is of keen interest both in Russia and abroad.
Today, the Alexander Palace has the status of a cultural heritage site of federal significance, so the degree of possible interference in its architecture is strictly regulated. The concept of "Studio 44" transforms the classicist complex into a modern museum space, which includes, along with a permanent exhibition (on the 1st floor, in the central halls of the Grand Suite and the East Wing), exhibition areas, a spacious lecture hall, open access funds, classrooms and computer rooms of the Children's Educational Center (on the 2nd floor). The impressive service infrastructure (wardrobes, cash desks, cafes, bathrooms, technical support systems) will be located in a recessed basement floor, and modern ventilation equipment will be located in the attic spaces of the outbuildings.
An important aspect of the reconstruction will be the adaptation of the building for the comfortable movement of visitors with limited mobility. Taking into account the capacity of the future museum (700 - 800 people at a time), it is planned to divide the flow of visitors by arranging separate entrances for groups of V. I. P.-people and individual excursionists who will enter the palace through the own entrance of Nicholas II.
Along with the engineering modernization of the building, it is planned to restore the historical facades of the palace and the decoration of the premises of the East wing. The roofs will be returned to their original green color, the chimneys will be restored above them (although they will be used not for their intended purpose, but as ventilation ducts). Will be recreated joinery window and door fillings "like an oak", as well as marble paving of the terrace-peristyle. The interior restoration project was developed by Studio 44 in cooperation with the Spetsproektrestavratsiya institute, whose specialists will deal with the most historically valuable rooms and halls (this is the Reception Room and the Great Front Office in the suite of rooms of Nicholas II; Maple, Palisander, Lilac drawing rooms and Bedroom in Alexandra suite Fedorovna). The fundamental difference between the current restoration is its complex nature. They will restore not only the elements of the decoration (mirrors, portals, fireplaces), but also entire rooms that have been lost as a result of Soviet redevelopment. The designers relied on extensive visual material - watercolors, drawings, film and photographic documents, as well as surviving fragments of decoration.
As the authors of the project emphasize, the result of the work should be "the most reliable reproduction of the objective environment and the very atmosphere of life and everyday life of the family of the last Russian emperor." At the same time, the restorers refused to recreate the completely lost interiors. This position, which was most radically embodied in the recent reconstruction of the New Museum in Berlin by the design of David Chipperfield, manifests a modern attitude towards an architectural monument, which is especially important for a museum building. In the project of Nikita Yavein's workshop, modern architecture is being introduced into the historical environment, providing all the necessary innovations and comfort, but leaving capacious pauses, it makes it possible to listen to the authentic voices of bygone eras, not distorted by falsehood, doubtful interpretations of the voices of bygone eras. The ability and willingness to hear the interlocutor is the main condition for dialogue, including for a dialogue with the past. And there is every reason to expect that such a dialogue will sound in the restored walls of the Alexander Palace.
