The mansion of O.P. Korobkova on Pyatnitskaya Street opened its doors to Muscovites and visitors of the city on the European Heritage Days.
These are the days when 50 countries, signatories to the European Cultural Convention, open historical buildings usually inaccessible for the general public and hold exclusive cultural events.
Two groups of tourists formed by the Moscow city’s cultural heritage department, had a chance to visit the unique mansion on Pyatnitskaya Street, which is a cultural heritage site operated by GlavUpDK under the MFA of Russia.
The visitors familiarized themselves with the unique interiors and the history of the house, which was built in 1886 and remodeled by architect L.N. Kekushev for Moscow merchant T.I. Korobkov in 1894.
The groups saw the mansion’s lobby and its jewel, one of the most expressive and unusual staircases in the history of Moscow architecture – winder stairs with an intricate arc of rocaille grilles. They also visited the second story of the building and admired the rich interiors of the living and dining rooms.
The building was restored to its original lilac color during the renovations done by GlavUpDK in 2013-2015. The mansion was called “the lilac castle” because of the color of its façade. The second-story bay-window was repaired together with the dome and the roofing, and the sculptures and stucco decorations of the façade were recreated. The entrance regained its original look: the marble staircase was repaired, and the gilding was restored on the bannisters, the stucco ceiling, and wall panels. Stucco walls and ceilings were restored in the rooms.
N.B.:
GlavUpDK under the MFA of Russia manages over 150 mansions in Moscow, most of which are cultural heritage sites. Many of those buildings are accommodating foreign embassies.
The historical buildings are being maintained and used in strict compliance with the Russian laws on the protection of cultural heritage properties, under control of the monument conservation authorities.
GlavUpDK has repeatedly won the Moscow government’s contests for the best project of conservation and popularization of cultural heritage sites, Moscow Restoration. Moscow Mayor Sergey Sobyanin thanked the GlavUpDK collective in August 2014 for their big contribution to the conservation of Moscow’s cultural heritage sites.
Virtual tour on the mansion of Korobkova