Historic building in the center of Moscow escaped demolition during an urban transformation and starred in an engineering operation that involved tracks, winches, flexible networks, and residents in the apartments, revealing how a colossal construction changed position without interrupting the internal routine.
Without dismantling the structure or removing the residents, engineers moved a 23,000-ton building that occupied the space intended for the widening of one of Moscow’s main roads.
Separated from the original foundation, the Savvinskoye Podvorye traveled 50 meters on tracks and reached a new base built within the block, while winches controlled the advance of the entire structure.
Carried out during a single night, the movement occurred so gradually that some residents continued sleeping in the apartments.
-
Chain opens supermarket in the center of Dublin and, while excavating the site, finds an 11th-century structure left by Viking descendants and remnants of an 18th-century theater, installs glass panels between shelves and checkouts, and transforms an ordinary shopping trip into a window to nearly a thousand years of history.
-
European giant of 331 meters will cross the Atlantic and arrive in Brazil for the first time with a capacity for 6,334 passengers, humanoid robot bartender, and an internal avenue of 112 meters under an LED ceiling, marking a historic debut on the Brazilian coast.
-
Goodbye traditional washing machine: TCL surprises and introduces the Super Drum version with a giant 540 mm drum, six internal paddles that mimic hand washing, jetBubble foam, automatic stain removal, steam, auto-dosing, and Wi-Fi control.
-
A 1.35-kilometer tunnel crosses a mountain range after 70 years of waiting and changes the route of 42,500 vehicles per day between the bay and the ocean coast.
At the same time, flexible connections kept the networks used in the building functioning, even while the construction left its original position and advanced through the center of the Russian capital.
Gathered by the portal Cultura.RF, a public project dedicated to the history and cultural heritage of Russia, the records identify the property as a 23,000-ton structure.
According to the publication, metal tracks, winches, protective elements, and flexible connections allowed the building to be transferred without interrupting the services used internally.
Building blocked the widening of Gorky Street
Located in an area affected by the expansion project of the former Gorky Street, now Tverskaya Street, the building was directly in the path of urban transformation.
In that central stretch of Moscow, the planning foresaw replacing part of the pre-revolution architecture with constructions aligned with the new city design.
Designed by architects Vladimir Semenov and Sergey Chernyshev, the reconstruction was part of a general plan to reorganize the capital.
According to Cultura.RF, the project included the widening of Gorky Street and the removal of historic buildings, making room for constructions associated with the style known as Stalinist Empire.
Although many properties were demolished, some structures from before the Soviet period were selected to remain in the region, provided they were set back from the street.
Among them was the Savvinskoye Podvorye, an occupied, ornate, and heavier building than other constructions transported during that period.
Engineers separated the building from the foundation
Under the responsibility of engineer Emmanuil Gendel, the operation began long before the building was moved.
First, the team prepared a new foundation at the destination point; then, they connected this base to the original ground using metal tracks capable of bearing the load.
To reduce the risk of deformations, the workers also installed a structural protection system around the building.
Only after this stage was the building separated from the old foundation and supported on a set designed to evenly distribute the weight throughout the journey.
Controlled winches pulled the 23,000 tons to a position located 50 meters into the block.
As the structure advanced, the tracks supported the movement and guided the building towards the base previously constructed by the engineers.
Building networks continued functioning
Besides controlling the transfer of the structure, the team needed to preserve the functioning of the internal networks used by the residents.
According to Cultura.RF, the connections were redone with flexible components, allowing them to remain operational even as the building moved over the tracks.
In this way, the construction was not transported as an empty block, but as an occupied building still connected to the services used in the apartments.
The solution accompanied the movement without requiring the families to be removed, maintaining the internal routine during the main phase of the operation.
Without informing the residents of the exact date in advance, the responsible parties initiated the transfer on the night of March 4, 1939, after a long preparation period.
According to the historical reconstruction published by the portal, the movement was smooth enough that many residents did not wake up.
There was also care in how the information was communicated to the building’s occupants during the preparations.
Cultura.RF reports that residents considered more nervous were given a later date, a measure adopted to avoid crowding and panic reactions when the structure began to move.
23,000-ton building advanced 50 meters
By dawn, the Savvinskoye Podvorye had already completed the 50-meter journey and was set back from its previous position.
In the space cleared next to the street, another residential building would be constructed by the architect Arkady Mordvinov, with the participation of engineer Pavel Krasilnikov.
Previously visible directly from the road, the historical building became hidden in the courtyard formed by the new complex.
The change preserved the property but permanently altered its relationship with Tverskaya Street and the surrounding urban landscape.
Among the elements that made the operation a standout case was the unusual weight of the transported structure.
According to the portal, the authorities intended to surpass an American record associated with a telephone exchange in Indianapolis, whose mass reached 11,000 tons.
Weighing 23,000 tons, the Moscow building had more than double the weight attributed to the American construction.
Even with this difference, the structure traveled the planned route without the residents needing to leave the apartments during the main movement.
Architecture of Savvinskoye Podvorye was preserved
By preventing demolition, the relocation also preserved an architectural example completed at the beginning of the 20th century.
Designed by Ivan Kuznetsov, the Savvinskoye Podvorye began construction in 1905 and was completed in 1907, according to records gathered by Cultura.RF.
Conceived as an income-generating building, the complex combined commercial and administrative spaces on the lower floors, while spacious apartments occupied the upper levels.
This combination allowed for the exploitation of the valued location to generate revenue through different forms of occupation.
Marked by the Neo-Russian style, the facade features towers, arches, windows of various shapes, and colorful ceramic cladding.
Some of the tiles were produced in Abramtsevo, on the outskirts of Moscow, while another part came from Germany; internally, a curved staircase with a crafted handrail stood out.
According to the survey by Cultura.RF, the construction required an approximate investment of 450,000 rubles.
To finance part of the project, the Savvino-Storozhevsky Monastery obtained a loan of nearly 300,000 rubles, intended for the venture with shops, offices, and apartments.
Building also marked the history of Russian cinema
Before being relocated, the property was also linked to the early development of Russian cinema, as distribution companies occupied rooms in the complex.
Among the professionals installed there was producer Alexander Khanzhonkov, who rented spaces for different cinematographic activities.
In the building, Khanzhonkov opened an equipment store, a department dedicated to educational films, and a workshop focused on subtitle production.
Near the Savvinskoye Podvorye, he also built a pavilion used for filming at certain times of the year.
Covered by a transparent structure, the pavilion was mainly used during the autumn and winter, as the interior became excessively hot in other seasons.
Later, a fire destroyed this space, while the main building remained occupied.
After the political transformations brought about by the revolution, the complex received new functions and began to house communal apartments during the Soviet period.
Even so, it retained much of the external elements that distinguished its facade from other buildings located in the center of Moscow.
Building remains set back in the center of Moscow
Since the transfer, the new position changed the way the Savvinskoye Podvorye is perceived by those walking along Tverskaya Street.
The construction erected later occupies the front of the lot, while the historic building remains set back in the courtyard of number 6.
The distance separating the building from the street corresponds to the path traveled on the tracks during the operation.
According to Cultura.RF, the property currently houses a service center for the population of the Central Administrative District of Moscow.
In the area prepared by the engineers, the structure preserves towers, ceramic claddings, and environments that traversed the movement with residents inside the apartments.
Would you trust staying in the apartment while engineers separated a 23,000-ton building from the foundation and pulled it 50 meters during the night?
