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Manifesto for a New Life. The Narkomfin Building

Date

Place

Communal Block, Narkomfin Building Novinsky Bulvar 25, building 1

DESCRIPTION

The Narkomfin Building is a manifesto for a new life. Construction began in 1928 and ended in 1930, during the climax of constructivism in architecture.

The Narkomfin Building was a «transitional housing» project. The idea of ​​transition from earlier, bourgeois forms and the family household to communal habitats belongs to architect Moisei Ginzburg and his student Ignatius Milinis. The client was the People’s Commissar of Finance, the ideologist of the new urban plan, Nikolai Milyutin, and the house was intended for employees of the People’s Commissariat of Finance.

During the tour, participants will go inside the building and learn how workers, engineers, and architects experimented with space, wall color, construction materials, and the number of levels in cell apartments. They will have the opportunity to evaluate the original architectural design and see the results of the restoration of the building, which was completed according to the original drawings. The tour also includes a visit to the Narkomfin café, which is located on the third floor of the communal block.

This tour was created by Garage guide Zhanna Sevostyanova in collaboration with the grandson of Moisei Ginzburg, Alexey Ginzburg.


Unfortunately, the Narkomfin Building is not equipped with a ramp and is inaccessible for visitors in wheelchairs.

HOW TO TAKE PART

Architecture walking tours are not translated into English.

To book a tour in Russian Sign Language or a tour for visitors with developmental disabilities, please write to openmuseum@garagemca.org