M.I. Babanin’s apartment house (Klimentovski pereulok 6),
constructed in 1912 by the architect Ernst-Richard
Niernsee, a masterpiece of Moscow Eclecticism, combines
Classical elements with the aura of Art Nouveau. The
house has been an integral part of the architectural
landscape of the historic Zamoskvorechie area. The
destiny of this building is characteristic of those lucky
remnants of old Moscow that escaped demolition or
reconstruction. More and more shops and offices are
placed in basements and ground floor apartments, while
entrances are sometimes broken through the main brick
wall. According to the Law, all non-residential rooms and
premises in a house, including basements, are in
condominium of all apartment owners. Placement of shops
and offices occurs without their knowledge and consent
(which is a direct violation of the Paragraph 4 Article 36 of
the Housing Code of Russian Federation), and no
recompense is paid to them. Some apartment owners, on
their part, illicitly hire out their flats without paying taxes.
Moreover, in spite of the No-Entry signs (fig. 2), the space
before the house is flooded by commuters’ cars coming to
the city center, so that inhabitants sometimes find no place
for parking. For that reason, garbage removal occurs at
nighttime, which is accompanied by considerable noise.
Defective car alarm systems, sounding day and night, add
their share to the noise. Big investors purchase one
apartment after another, demolish the old interior,
perform “Euroremont” (see related articles) and hire them
out. As a result, neighbor apartments, sewerage and other
communications are sometimes damaged (fig. 4). Compensation
mechanisms function with great difficulties in such cases.
External repairs of the house are planned for the future.
Like in other old Moscow houses, stucco décor can be
replaced by new copies.
Fig. 1, 2 External facade. Replaced window frames indicate
that Euroremont has been made in the apartment.
Fig. 3 Adjacent houses were demolished and replaced by
pseudo-traditional buildings.
Fig. 4-6 An apartment with a relatively well-preserved
original interior.
Fig. 4. A crack on the wall is seen, which arose as a result of the Euroremont in the appartment upstairs.
Fig. 7 Euroremont in action. Demolishing the interior, the
workers did not cover the lavatory pan. Unprofessional
working while replacing lavatory pans can result in waste
water conduit obstruction, for example, by pieces of
broken flooring tiles.
Fig. 8 Complete re-layout of an appartment for an office.
Fig. 9 Final state: the Euroremont is done.
All images 2010
