History of the Building

In 2021, the Leontief Centre’s Building on 7th Krasnoarmeyskaya Street is celebrating 115 years

 

The first landholders of the building located on 7th Krasnoarmeyskaya Street (former 7th Rota), 25, were Tikhonovs merchants. They purchased a large piece of land after the Supreme Decree from 24 June 1803, when the state lands, formerly owned by the Izmailovsky regiment, became "unused" and allowed to sell at public auction. The proceeds from the sale were transferred to the state land acquisition. By 1825 there were already several different buildings – on the plan of the yard of 15 April, 1825, which has been preserved in the Central State Historical Archive of St. Petersburg, it is pointed where Tikhonov exactly "wants to build a new stone two-storey building".


By 1865 on the territory belonging to St. Petersburg 2nd Guild of merchant’s wife Alexandra Tikhonova there were located:

  • “The two-storey house with a stone facade from the street side with a basement and an attic as well as a four-storey house from the side of a yard on the basement” at the corner of the 6th Rota and Izmailovsky Prospect (except apartments, there were located fruit and tea shops, leather, green and milk trade, etc.).;
  • The one-storey wooden building with a mezzanine from the street side along Izmailovsky Prospect and two-storey one on the residential stone basement from the side of a yard with two stone outbuildings – there were meat and "kuryatnaya" shops, on the first floor and mezzanine - hotel (since 1851); the wooden two-storey building on a stone foundation along the 6th rota with a stone outbuilding and attic from the side of a yard; moreover: stone services covered with iron, stone smithy of 3 furnaces, stone tiled stables for 41 stalls, and others. A total of 10 commercial and 4 industrial establishments. It was also a restaurant and next to it an orchard with wooden pergolas.

 


 
                
 

In 1883, after the death of Alexandra Tikhonova, the property was inherited by her sons: Alexander, Nikolai, and Jacob Tikhonovs, and after their death (from 1896 to 1899) – by one of the heirs, bourgeois M.A. Tikhonov. At the beginning of the XX century there were situated: 31 flats, leather, meat, vegetables and candle shops, a storage shed and a tanning manufactory.

 

In December 1899, Nikolai Sinyagin - hereditary Honorary Citizen of St. Petersburg, merchant of the 1st guild, state councilor, became the owner of the site and buildings. Nikolai Sinyagin was known as a collector of books and the owner of one of the largest private libraries, as well as for his charity work: in 1904-1905 he had built a clinic of skin diseases at his own expense on the bank of the Bolshaya Neva that became the Second Practical Clinical Department of the Imperial Institute of Experimental Medicine.

Under ownership of Nikolai Sinyagin in 1904-1905 the house (or rather a few houses standing side by side) underwent a major restructuring by architect Sergei Barankeev.

On February 8, 1906, in pursuance of instructions of the St. Petersburg City Government, it was drawn up the protocol on examination of the reconstructed house, built in the neoclassical style. There were 62 heated apartments, including 5-8 bedroom apartments, located at the front housing, 1-3 bedroom apartments – in the yard housing, and also premises for shops and a carriage house.

On a small empty area between Izmailovsky Prospect and the house by the decision of city authorities a children’s playground has been arranged despite numerous unsuccessful attempts of Nikolai Sinyagin to buy it out from the city and merge with the house (now it is the Valentin Pikul Garden).

 

In 1912, after the early death of Nikolai Sinyagin, the property went to his brother - hereditary Honorary Citizen Ivan Sinyagin, who owned it until 1917. Given the proximity of the Warsaw station, many residents worked for the railroad. Some residents were working in the Institute of Civil Engineers located nearby. At that time the house was occupied by merchants, bank employees, Office of the State Duma officials, teachers. There also was a lighting materials’ store of “I.A. Semenov” Trade House and the office of Strelninsky district of the Imperial Russian Society Rescue on Waters.

In the first years after the revolution the building was owned by Utility Houses Trust. In a huge former apartment building were situated not only numerous government agencies, but also apartments, that were finally rehoused only by the end of 1970. The investigator Lev Scheinin, known to many as the author of the book "Memoirs of the Investigator" was one of those who crossed the threshold of the house in the 1920s working in the 10th People’s Courthouse.

 

In 1928, at the request of the Moskovsko-Narvsky district council the reconstruction was carried out under the leadership of architect Vladimir Ovchinnikov for the needs of official institution. Comparing the drawings of facades and floor plans of Sergei Barankeev with a modern appearance of the building, you can see the changes of the facade facing Izmailovsky Prospect and a major reconstruction of the interior.

 

In subsequent years there were the state party and public institutions - first Moskovsko-Narvsky, then Moskovsky (since 1930), Leninsky (since 1936) districts of Leningrad.


In 1969, there was a scientific-technological and design association "Lensistemotehnika" under Leningrad City Council Executive Committee Technological Management which carried out research and development, information and computational works on the basis of economic-mathematical methods, computer equipment, communications and office equipment. In 1980 as part of association a Computer center has been established for collective use - one of the first centres in the country, devoted to the data processing automation for urban management in Leningrad.

Currently the building houses Business Centre PartnerstvoInternational Centre for Social and Economic Research "Leontief Centre", and other SMEs in socio-economic research, small business support and innovation. The well-equipped conference hall hosts conferences, trainings and seminars. One of the premises on the ground floor is occupied by a shop just like more than a hundred years ago.

 

 

 

The Building on 7th Krasnoarmeyskaya Street, 25 //
St. Petersburg, ICSER Leontief Centre, 2016, 48 p.
Author - Elena Chetvergova

The book describes the story of the building that has survived several reconstructions through its almost 200-year history; the threshold of which was crossed by the people, who have left a noticeable mark on public life, architecture and history of Russia. Collected material allows us to trace the history of the building and its owners since 1822 to the present day.

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