Pre-Revolutionary Trends of Industrial Architecture: Moscow Power Plants

The article explores the evolution of the architectural style and artistic and aesthetic features of the first Moscow power plants (Georgievskaya (1888), Raushskaya (1897) and Tramvainaya (1907)) during the period of active industrial development at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. The article aims to identify trends in the pre-revolutionary industrial architecture of Moscow, as well as to supplement the history of architecture with new information about the architecture of power plants.

The main advantage of the article is a comprehensive art history research of the power plants’ architecture, undertaken for the first time. The author compares the Russian practice with the design experience in Europe and the USA and examines the issues of historical modernizations and modern reconstructions of objects. There are applied the methods of comparative and typological analysis, as well as the art criticism method of stylistic analysis. The article establishes that there was a gradual transition from the “brick” style to the functional design method in industrial architecture: new buildings were characterized by a reduction in decor, the use of metal trusses, an increase in the area of glazing and its use as an expressive component. The results of the research show that, by the example of the first Russian power plants’ architecture, it is possible to trace the formation of industrial practices in the country and analyze the prerequisites of the GOELRO Plan, subsequently developed by the avant-garde architects. Nowadays, the power plants, being significant architectural monuments, remain an important part of the urban infrastructure, often acquiring a new format of life after revitalization: Raushskaya is the oldest operating plant in Russia, and Georgievskaya and Tramvainaya continue their existence as cultural spaces. The study of the heritage of industrial architecture helps to determine the historical and cultural value of the buildings around us, which is necessary for their preservation.

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