Savvinsky Compound: how they saved an architectural masterpiece by moving it 50 meters

Among the many architectural monuments of the Russian capital, there are few buildings that can boast of such an interesting history as the Savvinsky Compound. It turns out that initially this building was not located at the place where it can be seen today, but in 1939 it was moved directly with sleeping residents, since it prevented the expansion of Tverskaya Street.

The building of the Savvinsky Compound was built in 1907, and its facade went directly to Tverskaya Street. Built according to the project of architect Ivan Kuznetsov, the magnificent building harmoniously combined ancient Russian traditions with the Art Nouveau trend, popular in that historical period.

In the 30s of the last century, Moscow implemented a plan to modernize the capital and improve the transport system of the city, which included expanding the streets. Most of the buildings that did not have particular architectural value or did not fit into the new look of the capital were subject to demolition. But some of the buildings that prevented the expansion of the streets, it was decided to preserve by moving them to a new place. One of these buildings was the Savvinsky Compound, which was moved deep into Tverskaya in 1939.

The technology of transferring valuable buildings to a new place by that time was already actively used in practice. The first buildings in Russia were moved back in the 19th century, but it was in the 30s of the last century, when large-scale reconstruction began in the capital, this technology was improved and brought to automatism. In the capital, there was even a specialized organization that was involved in the transfer of massive buildings. Moving the Savvinsky Compound to a new place has become one of the most spectacular cases of moving buildings, because its weight exceeded 20,000 tons.

Preparing the building for the move began in March 1938. Its walls were separated from the foundation at the basement floor level and reinforced with metal beams. All the walls were installed on a new frame, which could be moved along the usual railway rails brought to the building. The operation to move the Savvinsky Compound took place in November 1939, and this happened at night, and the sleeping inhabitants did not even suspect that they would wake up in the morning in another place. As a result of the work done, the engineers managed to move the four-story building 50 meters into the depth of Tverskaya Street without causing any harm to it.

This amazing structure can be seen today. Today it is hidden from the eyes of passers-by, in order to see it, it is necessary to turn off Tverskaya and go into the courtyard. Guides often stop near elegant facades to tell guests of the capital how this amazing building was saved from destruction by moving it to a new place.