Vasileostrovsky tram depot is the oldest

tram A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...

depot in

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. It was built in 1906 - 1908 by

Westinghouse Electric The Westinghouse Electric Corporation was an American manufacturing company founded in 1886 by George Westinghouse. It was originally named "Westinghouse Electric & Manufacturing Company" and was renamed "Westinghouse Electric Corporation" in ...

. Vasileostrovsky trampark is a shrine for citizens, because it is associated with the unprecedented feat of

Leningrad Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

against Nazi Germany. Today the Museum of electrical transport is located there.

Design Features

The three buildings of the Vasileostrovsky trampark’s depot were built in

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

forms of

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 ...

, they relate to the early models of usage of progressive ferroconcrete and steel constructions. Each of the three buildings of the depot is bisected into the so-called "polusaray" (semi-shed) by a cross main wall with 8 passages. Two residential buildings (built in 1908 and 1915) form the street frontage. Three carload sheds have an internal partition on semisheds. There are various designs of overlappings in each of the semisheds. Semisheds 1 and 2 have a ferroconcrete design of overlappings. Semished 3 has a unique ferroconcrete design of overlappings. Semisheds 4, 5, 6 have a design of overlappings with application of pig-iron beams.

Threat of loss of part of the site

By 2013 it is planned to construct the "Palace of arts" and commercial ventures on a part of the museum's site. The site will accustom by TriGranit. The project has caused the mass protest of townspeople. The preservation of a historical heritage has been fully supported by several institutions and individuals: the director of the

State Hermitage The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a buildin ...

Mikhail Piotrovsky Mikhail Borisovich Piotrovsky (russian: Михаил Борисович Пиотровский) is the Director of the Hermitage Museum in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Life and career He was born in Yerevan in the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republi ...

, Union of Scientists in St. Petersburg, the Institute of Transport Problems, Society for Protection of Monuments VOOPiK, town-defending community (defenders of architectural heritage).

References

External links

*
Society for Historic Preservation and Cultural
formal appeal to Sandor Demian {{coord, 59, 56, 18, N, 30, 15, 30, E, region:RU-SPE_type:landmark_source:kolossus-ruwiki, display=title Transport in Saint Petersburg Tram transport in Russia Art Nouveau architecture in Saint Petersburg Tram depots Transport infrastructure completed in 1908 1908 establishments in the Russian Empire Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Saint Petersburg