"Honorary Restorer of Moscow" awards were given by Mayor Sergey Sobyanin

Profitable house of merchant V.E. Bykova, located at 19/18 2nd Brestskaya Street, building 1, is one of the finest examples of Moscow Art Nouveau. Designed by the architect Lev Kekushev in the early XX century, it was purchased from the Kokorin family by a Moscow merchant Vasily Bykov. In 1909, a four-story apartment building appeared on the site of the old building, previously demolished. The new house became an example of the profitable construction, common in the early XX century. Expressive, wavy-shaped facades are distinguished by the unique Kekushevskaya plastic, subtlety of stucco decoration and complex window bindings.

The building’s ground floor housed the owner's office, a bakery, an apothecary shop and two apartments. The second, third and fourth floors were used for apartments, each with an entrance from the outside stairs — front and black. The basement contained a boiler room with a stoker's room, a doorman's apartment and first floor’s businesses’ warehouses.

In Soviet times, the building was used for housing and small shops. The only changes were that the commercial housing turned into communal housing. Since the 1970s, with the communal services resettlement, individual premises have been transferred to different administrative institutions.

The balance holder of the house was one of the institutes of the Academy of Sciences, which concluded a contract with the investor for its reconstruction. Since the 1990s, the building has been empty and has not been operated due to an emergency condition. At the same time, back in the early 2000s, it retained its interior layout, the main structural and artistic elements and decorative decoration - the original window and door joinery, convex (blown) window glasses, stucco decor, original rainwater pipes, facade cladding and stucco, including the lion's mask above the travel arch - Lev Ke

In September 2009, part of the fourth floor burned down as a result of a strong fire, the house completely lost its roof. And as a result, wetting of the upper parts of the walls, floors, partitions and their further destruction. Some of the floors collapsed on the entire height of the building — from the top to the first floor. One of the main staircases was completely in ruins. The structures of the building have become in an emergency condition.

In 2008, the Art Nouveau monument identified the building cultural heritage site. In 2012, it was included into the state register of cultural heritage objects as a regional importance building, which saved it from destruction.

In 2013, emergency restoration began on a total area of 2,284 square meters. We strengthened the foundation and the basements of the building, eliminated longitudinal cracks and frame corrosion.

In 2017, the second stage of the building revitalization began. As part of the project, bearing brick walls, door and window openings were restored to compensate for the losses.

Restoration and restoration activities on window and door openings were carried out on the ground floor in accordance with the new data. Thus, specialists restored the initial mark of window openings of the first floor, combined window and door carpentry fillings within one opening along 2nd Brestskaya and Julius Fuchik streets, as well as restored the original basement window openings in pits.

In addition, the preserved Monier vaults over the first floor have been restored and strengthened and these vaults in the basement have been partially replaced with the subsequent restoration of the step and shape of the curves. Corrosion cleaning and prosthetics of metal lintels of window openings, strengthening of metal reinforcement and anchors of the wedding cornice and bay windows were carried out. The lost staircase on 2nd Brestskaya Street was restored and the staircase on Julius Fuchik Street was restored.

Experts paid special attention to the return of the historical appearance of the facades of the house.

The following works were performed:

• Restoration of the lower part of bay windows, crowning cornices, attics and parapets, production and installation of flowerpots on parapet poles;
• Restoration of facade stucco decor, removal of forms from restored decorative elements, casting and their installation in a historical place;
• Restoration and restoration of the lost part of the stretched decor, plastering of walls with restoration of imitation of wild masonry;
• Cleaning, masonry finishing, coating and subsequent painting of courtyard facades;
• Installation of low tides on the protruding parts of the building, restored or partially restored rainwater pipes;
• Restoration of the initial painting of facades and ceremonial staircases;
• Restoration and installation of a lion mask over the travel arch.

A large amount of work was done during the restoration of preserved and restoration of lost architectural elements and interior decor. The main staircase has been restored. Joinery fillings of external window and door openings with the installation of restored carved products, such as pilasters on window blocks, have been restored. Internal partitions of enfilade rooms on the second floor, doorways and joinery fillings in them, parquet floors, ceiling decoration have also been restored.

After restoration, the house will be returned to its historical function - it will accommodate apartments.

Honorary restorers of Moscow

By the decree of the Mayor of Moscow, the title "Honorary Restorer of the City of Moscow" was awarded the title of "Honorary Restorer of Moscow" for his great contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage objects and many years of fruitful work in the field of restoration:

• Tatiana Averina, Chief Architect of Stroyproektrestavration LLC;
• Tatiana Lapteva, leading specialist of the restoration technology department of Sirius Project LLC;
• Vladimir Pokachalov, General Director of the design and restoration company Tiamat-project LLC.

Tatiana Averina has been working in the field of preservation of cultural heritage sites for 44 years. Under her leadership, measurements and studies of architectural monuments, sketch and working restoration projects are carried out. Tatiana Fedorovna carries out author's supervision over the repair and restoration work on cultural heritage sites. With her participation in Moscow in the 1990s and early 2000s, more than 100 monuments were restored, including the Evangelical Lutheran Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul, the Church of the Holy Right-Believers Boris and Gleb in Zyuzin, Polivanov's house, the Leningradskaya and Ukraine hotels. In 2016-2020, under the leadership of Tatiana Averina, the Orlov-Denisov house on Bolshaya Lubyanka was restored.

Tatiana Lapteva has been working in the field of preservation of ancient monuments for more than 40 years, is a technologist-restor of the highest category. Performs chemical and technological studies of finishing and building materials of cultural heritage objects, develops scientific methodological recommendations for repair and restoration work, as well as carries out author's supervision and scientific guidance in the production of restoration work. Her track record includes the restoration of the Central Manege building after the fire, the restoration of the Grand Kremlin Palace, the Catherine Hospital (Gagarin House), the building of the Levenson A.A. association, the Kazan and Yaroslavl railway stations. In 1999, Tatiana Lapteva took part in the restoration of the Holy Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Sergiev Posad near Moscow.

Vladimir Pokachalov has been working at cultural heritage sites for more than 45 years. It performs all stages of comprehensive scientific research in the field of restoration. According to his individual methods, the historical appearances of the facades and interiors of dozens of creations of past eras have been restored.

Under the leadership and participation of Vladimir Pokachalov, projects for the restoration of a number of architectural monuments have been developed. Among them are pavilions "Agriculture" and "Atomic Energy" at VDNH, the main house of the XIX century estate in Lyalin Lane, the house in which Alexander Ivanovich Yuzhin lived, the house of the Brotherly Society.

In addition, for his contribution to the preservation of cultural heritage sites and many years of conscientious work, the Mayor of Moscow was thanked to the Honorary Restorer of the City of Moscow Evgeny Kokorev, General Director of the ArCo Project Bureau. According to his author's projects, more than 40 iconic objects and urban manor complexes, including the residential building of A.V. Shopatina of the XIX century on Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street.

The honorary title "Honorary Restorer of the City of Moscow" was established in 2013 and is awarded to industry specialists who have achieved outstanding success in the preservation and restoration of cultural heritage sites located in Moscow. Candidates for the title must have at least 20 years of experience in the restoration industry.

The honorary title was first awarded in 2014. During this time, 40 people, including those awarded in 2021, were awarded.

According to the established tradition, the presentation of badges to the honorary title takes place in March and is timed to coincide with the anniversary of the establishment in Russia of the specialty "Restoration and reconstruction of architectural heritage" (March 5, 1994).

Source: Official website of the Mayor of Moscow