ARCHITECTURAL STYLES

ARCHITECTURAL STYLES. From the 16th century, the architecture of Bashkortostan developed under the influence of Russian building tradition. One of the first widely used architectural style forms were Russian Baroque, which found special application in the first stone Orthodox churches and in industrial architecture of the Urals. With the advent of classicism in the first half of the 19th century, the transition to regular planning of the population is in progress. Building of stone residential and public buildings begins, and the foundations of the central urban architectural ensembles is laid. This style includes the architecture of The Guest House, The House of the Governor, the buildings of the Theological Seminary, the Ufa Male School, the Raion Council, as well as a number of churches in Ufa. In the styles of still preserved historical buildings  of  Ufa,  along  with  European traditions, one can also see clearly Muslim architecture (the tents, the domes, spiers and the characteristic ornament; ref. First Grand Mosque). In the 2nd half of the 19th – 1st half of the 20th century, the architecture of Bash kortostan is characterized by a transition from classicism to retrospectivism and eclecticism. From the end of the 19th century a modernist style develops, which was most pronounced in Ufa in the architecture of the P.I.Kosterin house and the Astoria Hotel. Neoclassicism becomes an alternative to  modern  and  eclecticist styles of the 19th and 1st half of the 20th century. The influence in Ufa which can be seen in the architecture of The Aksakovsky People’s House. Eclecticism moving in the direction of Neo Renaissance can be seen in the house of E.A.Ponosova-Mollo, the mansions of M.A.Laptev, and M.A.Emelyanov. The motifs of Renaissance and classicism are observed in their decor, and in the silhouette and the volumetric-spatial solutions, one can see modern features. Retrospectiveism and stylization are traced in the architecture of the Church of the Sorrowful (2nd half of the 19th century) in Selo Andreyevka of Aurgazinsky Raion, the Michael Archangel Chapel (1900s) in Belebey, etc. From the 2nd half of the 19th century an independent rational course of eclecticism finds expression in the so-called “brick style”, examples for which are the Nobel Brothers Trading House (1911), the building of the Mutual Credit Society of the Bank of Ufa. (1912; both – on the Verkhnetorgovaya Square, architect – K.A.Guskov), the houses of A.Nogaryov, and others. An example of a combination of rationalism with a certain Byzantine version  of  architecture  of  the “russian style” is seen in the churches of Nikolskaya (end of 19th – beginning of 20th centuries) in Selo Kaga of Beloretsky Raion, Troitskaya (1896) in Selo Krasny Yar, Dimitrie-Serafimovskaya (end of 19th – beginning of 20 centuries; now Seraphim Sarovsky church) in Selo Rus. Yurmash of Ufimsky Raion and in the Kazan Bogorodskaya Church (1904) in Selo Emashevo of Birsky Raion. In the architecture of Bashkortostan at the end of the 19th – early 20th century there is a tendency towards romanticism which can be observed in the building of The Peasant Land Bank, etc. In the 1920s, the architecture of Bashkortostan is represented mainly by constructivist buildings. In the 30s, there appears a transition from constructivism to neo-classicism. This  becomes  known  as  the  so-called post-constructivism period. An example of it can be seen in the building of the Main Post Office (1935, engineer-architect – V.Mayat), The House of Experts, the building of BASSR Council of People’s Comissars (N.Zarubin), Bashsoyuz (D.A.Korshunov), Narkomlegprom (G.D.Vagin, and B.G.Kalimullin; all – in 1937), etc. In the 30–50s there is a search for the local versions of the style of Soviet Neoclassicism: the Socialist Palace of Cultures (1937, architect – V.D.Kokorin; Ufa), The Pavilion of the BASSR at the USSR Exhibition of Economic Achievements (1940, M.F.Olenev; Moscow), the main BSU building (S.G. and B.G. Kalimullins; both – in 1957, Ufa); in their  design,  they  used  traditional  local ornamental motifs. At the end of the 40s – 50s,  there  appears  a  solemn  ceremonial version of the style of Soviet Neoclassicism at the heart of which there is the theme of victory in the Great Patriotic War: Pobeda (1947) and Rodina cinemas (1952; both – S.I.Yakshin), S.Ordzhonikidze House of Culture (1956, N.I.Shabarov), the Palace of Children’s Arts named after V.M. Komarov (1957, V.A.Kondrashkov), etc. In the 2nd half of the 1950s the transition from neoclassical to economical mass industry style begins. The construction of residential and public buildings is carried out according to standard designs; while demolition of historic buildings takes place. What some see as complete loss of regional specifics and national colorful urban variety was partly offset by the monumental decorative design of facades of buildings (ref. Monumental art). In the 60–80s, a “functional”, utilitarian direction prevailed in the architecture. The first object, during the construction of which there was a deviation from the typical design was the Actors House (1970, architects – Yu.A.Patskov and A.V.Semyonov). From the 2nd half of the 80s, there appears a regional version of postmodernism: the building of the Office of the FSB of the RF for the RB in Ufa (1985, M.R.Batyrova, Yu.M.Yeremeyev, M.P.Mazin, and O.S.Tadiashvili), the museum of Salavat Yulayev in Selo Maloyaz of Salavatsky Raion (1987, A.V.Klement), The State House of Assemblies – Kurultay of the RB (1990, M.P.Mazin and M.R.Batyrova), the Lyala­-Tulpan Mosque (1998, V.V.Davlyatshin and R.I. Kiraydt), the Nur Theatre building (2000, P.M.Andreyev, and G.G.Bogatyryova), the Mir Trade Center (2002, O.A.Baydin; all – in Ufa). Since the 90s, the architecture of Bashkortostan is characterized by a variety of stylistic trends, among them are neomodernism such as in the buildings of Bashprombank (1996, L.Sh.Dubinsky), the Museum of Military Glory (2000, D.A.Vinkelman), the National Youth Theatre (2002, K.A.Donguzov, D.Yu. Mirsayapov, and N.M.Galeyev), the sports facilities of Ufa­-Arena (2008,  I.F.Ibragimov, D.I.Mavrodiev et al.), the Iremel shopping complex (2007, Maskulov), and The ART Gallery (2009, by D.A.Vinkelman et al.; all – in Ufa).