An Extraordinary Survivor

The Story of Sytin House, Moscow

Clementine Cecil

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English

Fontanka
26 February 2025

History of architecture; History

Sytin House was built in Moscow in 1803 by Brigadier Andrei Sytin to be his city residence. Built from wood but disguised to look like stone, a peculiarity of the Russian building tradition, it was a typical house for a member of the gentry class, built according to standardised designs and decorated with classical motifs. The otherwise modest house has a portico with four columns and a pediment, all from wood. The Sytin family moved in just a few years before the fire of Moscow in 1812 that devastated most of the city, but, amazingly, not this house, that is to this day an extraordinary survivor, one of only a handful of such houses left in Moscow.

The house survived the early 20th century building boom, as well as the upheaval of the 1917 revolution when numerous wooden houses were dismantled for firewood. Divided into communal apartments during the Soviet period, it avoided demolition under Stalin, was listed in the 1960s, and finally restored in 1980. It was once again left empty in the 2010s however, and began to decline. Nestled between two of Moscow’s main streets, it has been recently triumphantly restored, and is today a witness of over 200 years of the city’s architectural history. This account provides a fascinating and original insight into the cultural, political and social landscape of Russia, as well as its architectural history.

By: Clementine Cecil
Imprint: Fontanka
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 260mm, Width: 210mm,
ISBN: 9781906257439
ISBN 10: 1906257434
Pages: 208
Publication Date: 26 February 2025
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming

Introduction Chapter 1 - The Sytin Family: 16th – 18th centuries Chapter 2 - Sytin Lane: late 15th century – mid 18th century Chapter 3 - Andrei Petrovich Sytin - life before Sytin House Chapter 4 - Moscow: The Enlightened Metropolis of Catherine the Great Chapter 5 - Zinovyevo: The Sytins' Country Estate Chapter 6 - Building Sytin House 1803-5: Neoclassical Skorodom Chapter 7 - Having a Ball 1805-12 Chapter 8 - 1812: The Fire of Moscow Chapter 9 - Moscow Rises from the Ashes: 1813-28 Chapter 10 - The Big Kozikha: 1828-1917 Chapter 11 - Revolution, Communal Living and War: 1917-42 Chapter 12 - Trials and Tribulations: 1942-2018

Clementine Cecil is an architectural historian, campaigner and writer. In the early 2000s she was Moscow Correspondent for The Times, and in 2004 co-founded the Moscow Architecture Preservation Society (MAPS) that published several reports about threatened heritage in Russian cities including Moscow, St Petersburg and Samara. She was Director of SAVE Britain’s Heritage, and SAVE Europe’s Heritage (2012-2016) and Pushkin House, London (2016-2020). Most recently she jointly edited a book about threats to Tbilisi’s architectural heritage.