The masterplan of this sport complex is an important urban development element of the Moscovsky District. The arena is located opposite the hotel “Russia” on the main axis of the Moscow Victory Park. The SKK building is located in a huge size square, continuing this Park. Landscaped square with trees and sculptures placed on it covers an area which size is 33 hectares. The entire complex, including Moscow Avenue, Victory Park and the stadium building, is a single complex, designed in the Soviet style. This ensemble looks concise and undoubtedly represents an architectural value.
NB!: https://save-skk.livejournal.com/429.html /one of rare newspaper articles on the issue with the SKK description/
The building of the universal sports hall is a permanent attraction for residents of the district and the city as a whole. The spacious area around organizes a comfortable space for crowds of people who have arrived at an event in the SKK. Transport accessibility also plays a high role. The metro is relatively close to the stadium, the roads around are full of buses making routes, and there are parking lots around the complex. The walking route to the complex takes place through the avenue of heroes in Victory Park.
And backing to the current trouble…
The St. Petersburg Architects Union and the Monument Protection Society had applied for recognition of the SKK building as Cultural Heritage Site. Yet the St. Petersburg government refused, meanwhile breaking the law. Currently the SKK defenders are contesting the refusal in court.
On October 3ed, the official St. Petersburg government announced an open architectural competition for the building’s reconstruction (!) and the surrounding quarter. According to the tender’s terms, all decisions (demolition / reconstruction / expansion of the building, besides development of the quarter) were to be left to the future investor. Documents are being accepted from October 8th 2019 to November 20th 2019, and the results should be summed up by mid-May 2020.
Nonetheless, the local St. Petersburg government gave permission to set the fence around the SKK quarter (supposedly for surveys, yet the fence is equal to capital construction fence):
Permission for these “works” was issued to some fake company that consists of ONE person, without a single license, affiliated with the owners of the SKA Hockey Club (OOO SKA ARENA, owners — Rotenberg Roman Borisovich and Timchenko Gennady Nikolaevich), who had been the initiators of this entire bacchanalia.
And, surrounded by the fence, the invaders, who do not have any rights to conduct any works and actions with the building, are hastily destroying it, not coming across with any resistance from anyone but helpless citizens. We can do nothing about it but information propagation.
As you can see, there was the building’s seizure, not legally formalized in any way, but with the tacit approval of the city administration and regulatory authorities.
Officials in formal letters’ responses and media questions reject the dismantlement possibility. On November 1st and 2nd, complaints were sent to the Prosecutor’s Office, the Police, and the Investigative Committee with a request to check what was happening in the building. No reaction at all!
Since October 25th, illegal barbaric equipments’ dismantlement has been carried out inside the SKK building. At first place, they removed chairs and cut off their metal fasteners.
October 31st, a roar was heard outside, the sounds of falling iron apparently cutting bridges and equipment on the arena ceiling.
November 6th, it was possible to take an inside photo:
November 7th, all the fixtures were dismantled, hired workers began to take off the metal walkways on the ceiling, partially sawed off. All chairs were removed from the stands. Bombed the 6th floor. If the doors didn’t open, the hinges got cut off with a “grinder”. We would note that it is extre,ely challenging to take insider’s photos because the workers are being controlled not to make any reports.
November 8th, workers were bombing and trashing floors with incredible speed.
An outside photo:
There is an impression that the manipulator is working on.
Later on, people came to the building and called the police. But the police officers refused to enter the building for inspection. What is coming next? We guess that nothing good…
Signed by the local residents of Moskovsky District, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation
BACU Association (Bureau for Art and Urban Research)
Socialist Heritage Working Group of ICOMOS – ISC20c