Administrative Building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the USSR

Brief Information

The building in Gazetny Lane looks like a completed ceremonial structure, but the original design was larger: it was meant to occupy an entire city block. In the end, only the part parallel to what was then Ogaryova Street was built, so it is important to look not only at the facade, but also at the sense of a “cut-off” volume. This unfinished quality changes the scale: the viewer sees not simply a long administrative building, but a fragment of a much larger concept.

The house was built in 1944–1946, when the NKVD was being divided into the MGB and the MVD. The solemn architecture here is therefore no accident: the massive classical forms were intended to support the image of state power. The design even included a chariot of Glory on top, but it was never realized. Today the building is still connected with MVD departments, so its original administrative function has not disappeared completely.

What to Notice Right Away

The main principle when viewing it is to compare the ceremonial character of the concept with the way the building was completed and altered. On the facade, the massive porticoes and colonnades are important: they make the administrative block resemble a Classicist structure, even though it was built in the mid-20th century. The colonnade runs around the volume’s perimeter and is raised on a high stylobate pierced by arches; this combination creates a solemn lower tier and emphasizes the building’s length.

It is worth noticing the left end wall and the later extension behind it. It differs radically in style and is two floors higher than the main block, so beside it one can see especially clearly where the original project ends. A separate detail of the grounds is the memorial to Chekist soldiers, installed in 1970. It adds another layer of memory to the departmental architecture, but not through the facade; rather, through a separate commemorative object.