Alexander Viktorovich came - or rather was unanimously elected by his colleagues in the shop as the chief architect of the capital in a very difficult period for Moscow architecture and was able to balance in this position for 16 years without giving up his professional positions. Having received the highest title of "People's Architect", he was rightfully so - few of the high-ranking officials could boast that they were so respected and loved by their colleagues. And Kuzmin was incredibly charming, witty and, of course, loyal to his chosen profession. Choosing architecture by vocation, and not by inheritance, he went through his professional path "from and to" - he graduated from Moscow Architectural Institute, came to the Research and Development Institute of the General Plan, where he grew up to the post of chief architect of the institute, and in the early 1990s ended up at the Moscow Architecture Committee.
Work in the team of Yuri Luzhkov connected the name of Alexander Kuzmin with the "Luzhkov" style, but he was far from the taste preferences of the former mayor, the purpose of his professional activity was quite different. Kuzmin shared the ideas of the outstanding urban planner Alexei Elbrusovich Gutnov and devoted a lot of effort to the development and adoption of the new general plan of Moscow. Related to this are the "projects of the century" he supervises - the active construction of a new urban center in Moscow City and the implementation of the Third Transport Ring. It was Alexander Viktorovich who came up with the idea of reviving the Small Ring of the railway for passenger traffic - the future MCC.
Of course, his professional fate is inseparable from the time in which he worked, and all criticism of Luzhkov's policies fell upon him with the same force. But Kuzmin was calm about this and liked to repeat - "everything that turned out well in the city will find its author, and everything bad is yours." And he did a lot for the profession, as much as possible under the skating rink of the Moscow construction realities of the 1990s - early 2000s. Probably, only natural humor, talent to speak and persuade, loyalty to the chosen profession helped him to preserve the idea of a professional reputation, to help the architectural industry survive and emerge in new conditions.
Alexander Viktorovich has always been distinguished by his brilliant oratory skills - he spoke sparklingly, freely and without cliches, he knew how to defend both good architecture and good architects. Thanks to Kuzmin, young private bureaus entered the chosen circle of institutions designing in Moscow, and the stars of Alexander Asadov, Alexey Bavykin, Yuri Grigoryan, Sergei Skuratov, Nikolai Lyzlov, Vladimir Plotkin, Boris Mikhail Levyant, Alexander Skokan, Ilya Utkin, many others.
I remember that after his retirement, journalists often asked Alexander Viktorovich what he would do now, and Kuzmin repeated: "There is a job - there is a man, I will continue to work." In his new post - as President of RAASN - Russian Academy of Architecture and Construction Sciences and as General Director of Research Center "Construction", he began to promote construction science, realizing that if you do not start to preserve and develop it now, then there will be nothing to save.
He left without completing much of what he could do. The entire professional workshop will lack a talented and bright architect, city planner, teacher, and an extraordinary storyteller. Alexander Viktorovich is loved and remembered by his relatives, friends, colleagues, associates, and students. Bright memory.
Alexander Viktorovich Kuzmin will be buried at the Vagankovskoye cemetery, the farewell will take place in Monday, September 30, in the House of Architects, in 11:00 … Church funeral service on the same day in 8:30.
