The Public Council under Mayor of Moscow approved the project on reconstruction of "Helikon-Opera"
24.03.2011
The Public Council under Mayor of Moscow approved the project on reconstruction of "Helikon-Opera"
On the 23rd of March The Public Council under Mayor of Moscow for the issues of town planning, architectural and artistic view of the city took an unanimous decision to recommence the restoration with adjustment of the buildings 1 and 2 in the house of 19/16 on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street for Helikon-Opera’s needs. The new Moscow authorities took the responsibility for Helikon-Opera’s fate.
The Big Hall of the Architectural Council of Moscow Committee of Architecture hardly accommodated the numerous representatives of the architectural societies, workers of culture and art, the representatives of public society of Arkhnadzor, journalists. The seats at the table were occupied by the members of the Council headed by the First Deputy of the Mayor of Moscow Vladimir Resin, Deputy of the Mayor Ludmila Shvetsova, Chief Architect of Moscow Alexander Kuzmin.
The main speaker on the project on restoration and adjustment of the buildings of the mansion for State Institution of Culture was Andrey Bokov, the President of the Union of Architects. He gave the comprehensive analysis of the project, which have been approved 15 years ago in all 23 instances, necessary for the approval of the project on the monument of cultural heritage, although the status of the mansion in Bolshaya Nikitskaya street is not defined yet.
Andrey Bokov noticed that adjusted building of the new theatre will not pass the borders of the land survey of the previous building. The authors of the project went the same way the new Hermitage in Saint-Petersburg went, where the inner yards were covered with the roof and the museum received 7 additional exhibition halls and the guarantee of the preservation of the walls.
The authors of the project went the same way the new Hermitage went in Saint-Petersburg, where the 7 inner yards were covered with the roof and the museum received 7 additional exhibition halls and the guarantee of the safety of inner walls. The new hall for 500 seats and the modern stage of the theatre will also be situated in the inner yard of the mansion. The yard will be covered with the roof, which will look like the starry sky.
AT the end of his speech Bokov announced that both like architect and the President of the Union of Architects he is deeply convinced that the unity of the monument and the institution of culture is the best way of solving the problems of each. The other variants are defective and unreal. He specially underlined that if the project decision, which has analogs both in Russia and abroad won’t be realized, the city could lose the perspective of further development. The phenomenal encumbrance, a precedent, can arise, according to which any project could be rejected due to the opinions of voluntary groups and despite millions of agreements. This is how the voluntary group can turn into intellectual and architectural censors, which is very dangerous.
The director of “Spetsprojectrestavratsiya” Yuri Kalinichenko reported the results of the last one, historical and cultural expertise, which Yuri Roslyak insisted on, when he stopped the works in the inner yard of the mansion in October 2010. Kalinichenko told the complex story of the building on Bolshaya Nikitskaya, that survived the fire of 1812 and numerous rebuildings, especially in the XXth century, when the last owner the princess Shakhovskaya ordered the projects on reconstruction to several architects, and then did everything to her own taste.
During the Second World War several bombs hit the mansion, and it being known that the restoration of the buildings in the yards, the value of which is underlined by Arkhnadzor, dragged on till 1956, so that only the façade wall remained authentic and it is decided to keep it, though the compromise leads to the loss of the circle of stage, necessary for the opera theatre.
The official part of the Council ended on that and the parties opened the debates. People queued up at the microphones. The representatives of Arkhnadzor took the functions of the Prosecutor General's Office, saying that during the dismantling of the yard building the violations were made. They didn’t want to hear the opinion of the authors of the project and ignored the facts about the numerous agreements, especially about the letter of the Director of the Department of building, renovation, investment policies and restoration I. V. Morozov that according to the order of the Government of Russia # 759-r from 01.06.2009 the address of Bolshaya Nikitskaya 19/16 is not included to the list of objects of cultural heritage.
Then the microphone was given to actor Eugene Mironov, People’s Artist of Russia, the director on Nations Theatre Lev Leschenko, composer Alexander Zhurbin, rector of Academy of Theatrical Arts Karina Melik-Pashaeva, deputy of the Head of Union of Theatrical Workers of Russia Gennady Smirnov, who read the letter in theatre’s defence, signed by Alexander Kalyagin, the TV presenter Ekaterina Ufimtseva. Due to the lack of time People’s artists of Russia Gerard Vasiliev, TV presenter Svetlana Konegen, singer Varvara and representatives of “Pro Helikon in Nikitskaya” blog couldn’t show their support. The speech of academician Yuri PLATONOW, who expressed his perplexity that such a brilliant, usual for Europeans, project on symbioses of architecture and art, aroused an acute reaction of some activists of voluntary group, was met with enthusiasm.
The Minister of the Government of Moscow Alexander Kibovsky expressed his hope for the fastest realization of the project and proposed to give the word to the Artistic Director of “Helikon-Opera” Dmitry Bertman, who told with bitterness how the theatre have been trying for 20 years to repair the mansion from its budget, how the theatre defended from depredation use by the tenants, how he have been writing to all institutions, including the Public Prosecutor’s Office and Moscow Committee of Cultural Heritage (Moscomnasledie), pleading to pay attention to the destruction of the building.
Dmitry Bertman told those present about the conditions of work in a conference hall of Soviet period in New Arbat, where the theatre is situated for the last three years. “Hope is the thing the theatre have been lived with for the many years. The hope that we would be appreciated in our native country the same way, we are appreciated abroad.”
In conclusion the Chief Architect of Moscow Alexander KUZMIN resolutely called the members of the Council to accept decision about the immediate continuation of the reconstruction and its fastest finishing. He was supported by Ludmila SHVETSOVA, the deputy of the Mayor of Moscow in the Government of Russia, who asked to stop the prolonged intermission and to resume the works in corpore.
Summarizing the Council Vladimir RESIN acknowledged that the authorities of the city are in moral obligation to the theatre and its spectators, that is why the restoration shall be finished as soon as possible.
The members of the Public Council unanimously voted for the renewal of the works in Bolshaya Nikitskaya, which had been stopped in October 2010. The decision was met with loud applause of workers of culture, members of public society “Pro Helikon in Nikitskaya” and many journalists.