The formation of “new style” in the process of final planning of the Palace of Soviets

Abstract

At the process for constructing the building of the Palace of Soviets, which was one of largest architectural projects in the USSR, main architects of this project worked out a new trend of the architectural solution, however the final draft for its building had been defined on the basis of winning project of Boris Iofan at the architectural competition for the Palace of Soviets (1931–1933). On the other side, at this time the return to the classical architectural style was spread over the society of Soviet architecture to establish Soviet national architectural style. Though the winning plan of Boris Iofan for the Palace of Soviets had been designed in the spirit of the classical style, the architectural solution for the construction of the skyscraper as American Art Deco in the U. S. was accepted on time projecting the final draft for the Palace of Soviet. This trend at the process of making the final draft of the Palace of Soviets, which did not come true, was applied for planning and constructing the building of Soviet pavilion at the World Trade Fair in Paris (1937) and New York (1939). Boris Iofan, who designed both pavilions, also took part in the planning for the final draft of Palace of Soviets. These pavilions at the World Trade Fair functioned as a Soviet national symbol to distinguish it for visitor from other ones from afar. Thereby similar architectural elements with the Palace of Soviets appeared on the planning of these pavilions that the building was formed as a foundation for the sculpture on the top of the building and the planner underlined the height and verticality of these pavilions. In the similarity of both architectural types, Soviet pavilion and the Palace of Soviets, we can understand the significance of soviet national architecture like a symbol in the difference of the architectural tide from mid- to end-1930’s in the USSR.

Keywords:

the Palace of Soviets, B. Iofan, American Art Deco in the Soviet architectural context, the building of Soviet Pavilion at the World Trade Fair in Paris (1937) and New York (1939)