The North Caucasus Railway Administration Building (russian: Здание управления Северо-Кавказской железной дороги) is a building in

Rostov-on-Don Rostov-on-Don ( rus, Ростов-на-Дону, r=Rostov-na-Donu, p=rɐˈstof nə dɐˈnu) is a port city and the administrative centre of Rostov Oblast and the Southern Federal District of Russia. It lies in the southeastern part of the East Eu ...

at Teatralnaya Square constructed from 1911–1913 in the

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...

style. The building has the status of an object of

cultural heritage of Russia The national cultural heritage register of Russia (russian: Единый государственный реестр объектов культурного наследия) is a registry of historically or culturally significant man-made immovab ...

of regional significance.

History

The administration of the Vladikavkaz (now North Caucasus) Railway, situated in Rostov-on-Don, did not have its own building and occupied rented premises. At the beginning of the 20th century, a decision was made to construct a building for its administration. In 1910, a contest was held among architects, which was won by Nikolai Valter. Construction was done by civil engineer Andrei Butkov, who also made the drafts. For the building, land was acquired on the border of the cities of Rostov-on-Don and Nakhichevan-on-Don (the latter was incorporated into Rostov-on-Don's in the 1920s). Construction began in the summer of 1911 and was completed by autumn 1913. A consecration ceremony took place on 27 October 1913 (9 November New Style). Problems with the building appeared soon after the construction had been completed. In autumn 1913, the newspaper ''Utro Yuga'' (russian: «Утро Юга») reported "incredible dampness", because of which "telephone wires often do not work." Management officials also complained about poor ventilation. In addition, the article noted that "the building was constructed on a draft drawn more than three years ago, and now, in view of the increase of the number of the staff in this period, it turned out to be too small. All the rooms are so full that the projected norm does not correspond to the present reality". In the 1920s, the building housed the Administration of the North Caucasus Railway. In the mid-1930s, the Administration of Voroshilovskoye Railway was situated there. During the

Great Patriotic War The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of conflict between the European Axis powers against the Soviet Union (USSR), Poland and other Allies, which encompassed Central Europe, Eastern Europe, Northeast Europe (Baltics), and Sout ...

, the roof,

rafter A rafter is one of a series of sloped structural members such as wooden beams that extend from the ridge or hip to the wall plate, downslope perimeter or eave, and that are designed to support the roof shingles, roof deck and its associated ...

attic An attic (sometimes referred to as a '' loft'') is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building; an attic may also be called a ''sky parlor'' or a garret. Because attics fill the space between the ceiling of the ...

, windows and doors were destroyed. From 1948–1949, the building was reconstructed. In the early 2000s, facades were refurbished.

Architecture

The building of the North Caucasus Railway Administration became the first building at Teatralnaya Square. It dominated the surrounding low-rise buildings. The building was constructed in the tradition of the rationalistic direction of

Art Nouveau style Art is a diverse range of human activity, and resulting product, that involves creative or imaginative talent expressive of technical proficiency, beauty, emotional power, or conceptual idea In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are ...

, but at the same time, its architecture and design traces the motifs of

Eclecticism Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in ...

. The four-story building occupies a block in plan and has three courtyards. The color scheme of the facade is composed of red and

ocher Ochre ( ; , ), or ocher in American English, is a natural clay earth pigment, a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. It ranges in colour from yellow to deep orange or brown. It is also the name of the colours produced ...

colors. The brickwork of the building is combined with plastered surfaces. The facades are decorated with relief emblems of Vladikavkaz Railway. The first floor is rusticated. The railway director's office was on the second floor, with its large windows facing the main facade. File:Upravlenie SKZhD.jpg File:Здание Управления Владикавказской Железной Дороги 3.jpg File:Здание Управления Владикавказской Железной Дороги 4.jpg

References

{{reflist Buildings and structures in Rostov-on-Don Cultural heritage monuments in Rostov-on-Don Art Nouveau architecture in Russia 1913 establishments in the Russian Empire Office buildings completed in 1913 Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Rostov Oblast