The leading International organizations for heritage protection of the 20th Century Heritage have expressed their intense concern about the alarming situation now facing the future of the Melnikov House.
The Russian avant-garde architect Konstantin Melnikov’s seminal cylindrical house, which has inspired architects around the world for nearly a century, is threatened by construction of a large multipurpose complex abutting its tiny backyard.
Global Aspirations and Pastiche Identity: Architectural Preservation in Russia 6-7 November 2010
FINAL REPORT
Prof. Natalia Dushkina (Moscow Institute of Architecture), ‘The Fate of Historic Reconstruction in Russia’
The opinion of Natalia Dushkina, a Professor of Architectural History at the Moscow Architecture Institute, and the granddaughter of architect (Alexei Dushkin) author of the building, on the situation surrounding this historical monument, which, due to the ambitions of its owners and the tacit approval of the authorities, is teetering on the brink of destruction.
It survived the war of 1812, the revolution of 1917 and the demolitions of the 1930s, and is now starting out on a new chapter of its life, although still surrounded by mystery.
