Sucker vs developer

How the businessman differs from the bandit

A typical conversation of an interested resident with people related to the reconstruction and improvement of the Moscow Center usually looks like this. Ah, what a horror, the resident says, here they will now destroy the old building and destroy the square. You do not understand anything, a specialist in urban planning is invariably answered, and often also an architect. And he begins, sprinkling his speech with terms, to explain why this old building should not be preserved at all, a new standard landscape design will be much better than the old trees that grew 80 years old, do you understand?

This conversation is carried out so that a resident invariably feels like a sucker. He is guided by simply common sense, and he is objected by professionals who, by default, “understand better” and know something that a simple person is not given to know.

I live in the center of Moscow, and these same conversations in which I am invited to feel sucker, have been led by years and years. All the time that I am watching the state of the historical environment in my area. More precisely - all the time that I am continuously upset about this.

The reason for the next disorder is the so -called regeneration of the Ivanovo Gorka area. This is one of the most preserved zones of Moscow, which includes several outstanding monuments - from the chambers of the Duma clerk Ukraitsev (XVII century, a monument of architecture of federal significance) to the Pseudo -Gothic mansion of the Industrialist button (1900, an object of cultural heritage of regional significance).

Literally at the top of the Ivanovo hill is the building of the 1939 building. This is almost the only building that can be demolished here without a very clear violation of the law on the protection of monuments. He will be demolished.

For good, this house is also a monument. Let not “high” architecture, but, at least, a monument of history of thought.

Here, under the cover of the study of the labor movement, in the 60s those who influenced the course of thought of the twentieth century worked in principle: Merab Mamardashvili, Yuri Davydov. But no one is going to sentimental about this. The building will be demolished as nice, and in its place they will build an impressive chest of drawers made of expensive stone, fill it with offices, and they will get a parking lot under it.

At this place, a simple -minded citizen asks: is it dangerous to dig underground parking in the immediate vicinity of the monument of the XVII century? To which the same arrogant answer gets: you don’t understand anything, there are methods, and, in general, do not prevent the professionals from doing their job ... Then the simple -minded city dweller asks again: where is the logic in the construction of such a parking lot in the reserved place of the Moscow Center, while the Moscow government has been convincing us for several years that there should not be personal vehicles in the center, and there should be a wealthy Muscovite that respects its city (and such an office should be calculated precisely for a wealthy one) get to work by taxi? For this simple-minded citizen, they again say that he was silent, because the Moscow government does not happen illogical, and if someone seems so, then it is necessary to be baptized, and not to interfere with professionals to do their job.

I specifically do not call a deigner company that built up the Ivanovo Gorka, the names of its leaders and the architect of the project. They wrote a lot about this. One of the first is the New Gazeta (No. 89 of August 19, 2020). It is important that what is happening on the Ivanovo hill is typical of Moscow. And exactly the words that were repeatedly repeated by the “side of the developer” are also typical: the destruction (and not reconstruction and adaptation) of the historical house and the construction of a heavy and pretentious office center in its place - the “necessary victim”. Because since the developer will restore the monuments, and this is expensive, then even a small candle tag, pah, he will have an office center. And also, they say that you are local residents so ungrateful? Monuments are going to restore to you, and you are all unhappy.

In this place I must say this.

The restoration of monuments is the obligation of the state, the city and those to whom the state and the city allow these monuments to be used. It doesn’t matter on what conditions. Even if on property conditions. History and culture belong to everything, this is a public treasure. And if you use this culture and history, you get their symbolic capital - you must take care of them. No gratitude to wait for this. Society can and should demand it from you. It was time for our developers proudly informing that this mansion could be demolished, and they, well done, did not demolish it, to understand this. Big money is of a rather big responsibility. Otherwise, you are not businessmen, but bandits from a high road. And as the bandits will be treated with you and will be.

I understand that the opposite side of my answer will be unclear as Lokhovskaya. Well, let.