Dmitry Chechulin
Encyclopedia
Dmitry Nikolaevich Chechulin (August 22, 1901, Shostka - October 29, 1981, Moscow) - was a Russian Soviet architect, city planner, author, and leading figure of Stalinist architecture
.
, today in Ukraine
) to a working class family, after service in the Red Army
Chechulin enrolled in the state school Vkhutemas
and graduated in 1929, doing post-graduate work under Alexey Shchusev
.
In the 1930s Chechulin was awarded commissions for four stations of the Moscow Metro
, and developed his career to design a list of familiar Moscow landmarks. From 1945 through 1949 he served as chief architect of Moscow.
Chechulin's work intersects with the Palace of the Soviets competition (the major event in Soviet architectural history) at multiple points. He was among the twelve finalists in the final round. He is credited for one of the seven Moscow vysotki
(tall buildings) commissioned by Stalin after World War II as a "frame" for, and then in lieu of, the unbuilt Palace. Chechulin had produced plans for the unbuilt eighth tower, the Zaryadye skyscraper
, in 1947. And when, after decades of neglect and delay, the huge excavation for the Palace of the Soviets finally became the world's largest open-air swimming pool
in 1958, he was the architect.
Chechulin wrote nearly 40 books, pamphlets, monographs and articles on architecture, urban planning and design issues. Among his many awards were Hero of Socialist Labor
(1976), People's Architect of the USSR
(1971), two Orders of Lenin
, two Orders of Red Banner of Labor, the Order of Honour
, and three Stalin Prizes (1941, 1949, 1953).
He died October 29 in 1981, and is buried at Novodevichy Cemetery
.
Stalinist architecture
Stalinist architecture , also referred to as Stalinist Gothic, or Socialist Classicism, is a term given to architecture of the Soviet Union between 1933, when Boris Iofan's draft for Palace of the Soviets was officially approved, and 1955, when Nikita Khrushchev condemned "excesses" of the past...
.
Life
Born in Shostka (Sumy OblastSumy Oblast
Sumy Oblast is an oblast in the northeastern part of Ukraine. The administrative center of the oblast is the city of Sumy.Other important cities within the oblast include Konotop, Okhtyrka, Romny, and Shostka....
, today in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) to a working class family, after service in the Red Army
Red Army
The Workers' and Peasants' Red Army started out as the Soviet Union's revolutionary communist combat groups during the Russian Civil War of 1918-1922. It grew into the national army of the Soviet Union. By the 1930s the Red Army was among the largest armies in history.The "Red Army" name refers to...
Chechulin enrolled in the state school Vkhutemas
VKhUTEMAS
Vkhutemas ) was the Russian state art and technical school founded in 1920 in Moscow, replacing the Moscow Svomas. The workshops were established by a decree from Vladimir Lenin with the intentions, in the words of the Soviet government, "to prepare master artists of the highest qualifications for...
and graduated in 1929, doing post-graduate work under Alexey Shchusev
Alexey Shchusev
Alexey Viktorovich Shchusev ), 1873, Chişinău—24 May 1949, Moscow) was an acclaimed Russian and Soviet architect whose works may be regarded as a bridge connecting Revivalist architecture of Imperial Russia with Stalin's Empire Style....
.
In the 1930s Chechulin was awarded commissions for four stations of the Moscow Metro
Moscow Metro
The Moscow Metro is a rapid transit system serving Moscow and the neighbouring town of Krasnogorsk. Opened in 1935 with one line and 13 stations, it was the first underground railway system in the Soviet Union. As of 2011, the Moscow Metro has 182 stations and its route length is . The system is...
, and developed his career to design a list of familiar Moscow landmarks. From 1945 through 1949 he served as chief architect of Moscow.
Chechulin's work intersects with the Palace of the Soviets competition (the major event in Soviet architectural history) at multiple points. He was among the twelve finalists in the final round. He is credited for one of the seven Moscow vysotki
Seven Sisters (Moscow)
The "Seven Sisters" is the English name given to a group of Moscow skyscrapers designed in the Stalinist style. Muscovites call them Vysotki or Stalinskie Vysotki , " high-rises"...
(tall buildings) commissioned by Stalin after World War II as a "frame" for, and then in lieu of, the unbuilt Palace. Chechulin had produced plans for the unbuilt eighth tower, the Zaryadye skyscraper
Eighth Sister (Moscow)
The Eighth Sister is the unbuilt project for the Zaryadye skyscraper in Moscow. It would have been eighth sister to the group of seven postwar Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow, Russia. The architect was Dmitry Chechulin....
, in 1947. And when, after decades of neglect and delay, the huge excavation for the Palace of the Soviets finally became the world's largest open-air swimming pool
Moskva Pool
The Moskva Pool was, for a time, the world's largest open air swimming pool.It was built in Moscow in 1958 on the foundation of the abandoned Palace of Soviets, to the designs of prominent Moscow architect Dmitry Chechulin...
in 1958, he was the architect.
Chechulin wrote nearly 40 books, pamphlets, monographs and articles on architecture, urban planning and design issues. Among his many awards were Hero of Socialist Labor
Hero of Socialist Labor
Hero of Socialist Labour was an honorary title in the Soviet Union and other Warsaw Pact countries. It was the highest degree of distinction for exceptional achievements in national economy and culture...
(1976), People's Architect of the USSR
People's Architect of the USSR
People's Architect of the USSR , also sometimes translated as National Architect of the USSR, was an honorary title granted to citizens of the Soviet Union; it was established on August 12, 1967 by Leonid Brezhnev....
(1971), two Orders of Lenin
Order of Lenin
The Order of Lenin , named after the leader of the Russian October Revolution, was the highest decoration bestowed by the Soviet Union...
, two Orders of Red Banner of Labor, the Order of Honour
Order of Honour
The Order of Honour may refer to one of several similarly named Orders:* Order of Honour,a Soviet decoration awarded between 1988 and 1994, which replaced the older Order of the Badge of Honour, awarded between 1935 and 1988;* Order of Honour...
, and three Stalin Prizes (1941, 1949, 1953).
He died October 29 in 1981, and is buried at Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery
Novodevichy Cemetery is the most famous cemetery in Moscow, Russia. It is next to the 16th-century Novodevichy Convent, which is the city's third most popular tourist site. It should not be confused with the Novodevichy Cemetery in Saint Petersburg....
.
Work
(in Moscow unless otherwise indicated)- Komsomolskaya (Sokolnicheskaya Line) station, Moscow Metro, 1935
- vestibules for Okhotny Ryad Metro station, 1935
- Kievskaya (Filyovskaya Line) Metro station, 1937
- vestibules for the Dynamo Metro station, 1938
- the Moscow Pavilion at the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition, now the All-Russia Exhibition CentreAll-Russia Exhibition CentreAll-Russia Exhibition Centre is a permanent general-purpose trade show in Moscow, Russia....
, 1939 - Tchaikovsky Concert Hall, 1940
- the Victory Bridge (with sculptor Nikolai TomskyNikolai TomskyNikolai Vasilyevich Tomsky was a much-decorated Soviet sculptor, designer of many well-known ceremonial monuments of the Socialist Realism era.- Biography :...
), 1943 - the Stalinist skyscraperStalinist architectureStalinist architecture , also referred to as Stalinist Gothic, or Socialist Classicism, is a term given to architecture of the Soviet Union between 1933, when Boris Iofan's draft for Palace of the Soviets was officially approved, and 1955, when Nikita Khrushchev condemned "excesses" of the past...
at the Kotelnicheskaya EmbankmentKotelnicheskaya EmbankmentKotelnicheskaya Embankment is a street on the northern bank of Moskva River in central Tagansky District of Moscow, Russia. It spans from the mouth of Yauza River to the point one block west from Bolshoy Krashokholmsky Bridge , where it changes name to Goncharnaya Embankment.-Kotelnicheskaya...
(one of the Seven Sisters), 1947–1952 - the Hotel Peking, 1955
- Moskva PoolMoskva PoolThe Moskva Pool was, for a time, the world's largest open air swimming pool.It was built in Moscow in 1958 on the foundation of the abandoned Palace of Soviets, to the designs of prominent Moscow architect Dmitry Chechulin...
, 1958 - the White HouseWhite House, MoscowThe White House , also known as the Russian White House, is a government building in Moscow. It stands on Krasnopresnenskaya embankment. Construction started in 1965 and ended in 1981. Originally called The House of Soviets, it was designed by the architects Dmitry Chechulin and P. Shteller...
, 1965–1981 - the Rossiya Hotel, Moscow, on the site of the unbuilt Zaryadye towerEighth Sister (Moscow)The Eighth Sister is the unbuilt project for the Zaryadye skyscraper in Moscow. It would have been eighth sister to the group of seven postwar Stalinist skyscrapers in Moscow, Russia. The architect was Dmitry Chechulin....
, 1967 (razed 2006)
