This is a quite unusual album…
Normally, it would be a long time before these buildings appeared on
Wondering Camera. But something justifies their appearance. What many of
these buildings have in common is that they are going to be demolished
soon.
The first part of the album shows
Shkapina and Rosenshtaina streets (and their surroundings). This is near
Baltiyskaya metro station (and Baltiyskiy railway station).
Since
these buildings have not been renovated/rebuilt in a long time, there is
an idea (it is practically a decided matter), that it would be easier to
demolish them and build something new.
Though this neighborhood is not very
pleasant.
The environment is quite polluted - there are factories, heavy truck
traffic on Obvodniy canal, etc.
There fore offices and retail centers are
planned to be built here.
36 Shkapina street.
Private apartment
building of engineer I. K. Bredal.
Built in 1914.
All tenants should move out by 2007
(about 30% of them have already moved out).
The building on the left is probably a
fire station.
This is supposed to be funny…
According to the map this is a rubber
shoe factory. Now, as with most factories, the building is rented out as
office space.
A forsaken railroad line bound for
Krasniy Treugolnik (Red Triangle) factory.
The building on the right
and further away is the first building in St. Petersburg by architect M.
S. Lyalevich. Built in 1903 - 1904.
45 Shkapina street.
Refrigerator-warehouse of "Br.Vestey" trading house.
The architect is F. F. fon Postels, 1908, 1914.
Here we have moved to a different area -
Krukov canal embankment. This place is know for the fact that the
buildings are going to be demolished, in order to make room for a second
stage of the Mariinskiy theatre in the "modern architecture" style (the
theatre itself is behind us).
Once we have discussed this topic
previously. Since then, as far as I know, the final decision has been
made to demolish the Pervoy Pyatiletki Centre (on the far right) and
build something of glass in its place.
Anyhow, in the picture (5 Krukov canal embankment) we can see a
Litovskiy (Lithuanian) Marketplace Shop (by architect J. Kvarengi, end
of 18th century). Its name is related to the Litovskiy castle, which
used to be located nearby (on the other side of Dekabristov street,
across from Pervoy Pyatiletki Centre).
5
This is what Litovskiy castle looked like in the past.
The building was designed by
architect Starov and constructed in 1787 for the Lithuanian regiment
barracks.
In 1823, after a slight reconstruction, the building became a jail
which could house 500 inmates.
Among the prisoners were V. Zasulich, Korolenko, A. Kuprin.
In 1917, during the February revolution, the castle was burned down, and
buildings were later built in its place.
In 1929, what was already Litovskiy market was demolished, and the
Pervoy Pyatiletki Centre was built in its place.
If we now go under the arch of Litovskiy market, we can see the traces
of old reconstruction (hard to tell whether they are from 1929 or
earlier).
This is what we see if we look up.
This
picture is dedicated to the well-yard enthusiasts :
This is how the building looks from the
other side. This is clearly not 1929, but something pre-revolutionary.
In the past the roof of the prison chapel
and one of the Litovskiy castle towers were adorned with angels holding
crosses.
Before October 1918 the modern Dekabristov street was called
Offitserskaya (Officer) street.
5a Krukov canal embankment.
School No.
243
A small street nearby. Probably Minskiy.
By the way, from February 26 to March 5 there was a photo exhibit
called "Korea through my eyes" in the Eastern Studies Department of
the St. Petersburg University. Some of my
North Korea pictures were part of the
exhibit, and I even won third place. :)
