Gushchin: Issues identified regarding the overlaps and structure of the Alexandrovsky Passage

      Issues have been identified regarding the ceilings and structure of the Alexandrovsky Passage, as well as the soils on which it stands. This was reported by Ivan Gushchin, the chairman of the RT Committee for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, at a press conference at "Tatar-inform." "The area is complex. Together with the Committee for External Improvement, the executive committee of Kazan, thanks to them, we have constantly 'trembled': the plaster has peeled off, vandals have broken windows, and something else," the speaker commented on the situation regarding the preservation of the cultural heritage site. Gushchin reminded that the building is owned by a company from St. Petersburg, but the committee insisted on the conclusion of strict protective obligations, as the preliminary inspection recognized the site as emergency. "The rights holder has ordered a project, it has been approved, and they have come to the site to carry out emergency works," Gushchin specified. The area where the passage is located was described by the head of the relevant committee as complex: the proximity to the Mergasov House and the characteristics of the soils create additional difficulties, including ecological ones. "We will continue to monitor the situation. I will repeat once again: the protective obligations are in place," he concluded. The Alexandrovsky Passage was built from 1880 to 1883 by architect Heinrich Rush according to the designs of two other architects – Vladimir Suslov and Nikolai Pozdeev. The building is executed in an eclectic style with elements of modernism, and the decor includes neo-baroque elements. The client was first guild merchant, philanthropist Sergey Alexandrov. Later, the owner of the passage became his sister – Olga Alexandrovna-Gains. During the Soviet era, the building housed, among other things, the "Pioneer" cinema. In 1977, part of the structure collapsed, after which the passage remained in a neglected state for a long time. In 2007, the building was purchased by a St. Petersburg company, and in 2020 and 2021, it was put up for auction again. Currently, the rights holder of the site is a limited liability company registered in St. Petersburg.

      Photo: © Ramil Gali / "Tatar-inform"