Construction

Construction

Moscow City Government Decree No. 637-PP of August 13, 2002 permitted the construction of a shopping mall and entertainment center 100 meters away from the wall of Melnikov's House. Decree No. 152-PP of March 13, 2007 re-confirmed all the permits issued earlier. The center construction has got all the required clearances.

Moscow City Government Decree No. 152-PP of March 13, 2007

Moscow City Government Decree No. 637-PP of August 13, 2002

The construction site is within protective zone of Moscow historical and cultural monuments No. 17 designated by Moscow City Government Decree No. 881 of December 16, 1997. Melnikov's house is also within that zone and, pursuant to the Russian Federation laws on monument protection (in particular, Federal law No. 73-FZ dated June 26, 2002), any construction in the protective zone of historical and cultural monuments is forbidden.

Moscow City Government Decree No. 881 of December 16, 1997

In November 2006, on the initiative of Russian Avantgarde Foundation specialists of Engineering Geology and Geoecology Chair at the Moscow State Construction University conducted Survey of Structures, Foundations and Soil Footing Condition for House – Monument to Architect Konstantin Melnikov Located at the Address: 10 Krivoarbatsky Lane, Moscow. In their report on the survey results they stated that no construction was to be permitted in the area of Melnikov's House and its surrounding land plot. Due to the karst hazards in the area of Melnikov's House any breach of such ban can lead to the monument's destruction.

Conclusions of the Survey

On April 28, 2007 Sergey Gordeyev, President, Russian Avantgarde Foundation, appealed to the Moscow City Public Prosecutor's Office to verify compliance of Moscow City Government Decrees No. 637-PP of August 13, 2002 and No. 152-PP of March 13, 2007 with the Moscow City laws and the federal laws and declare said Resolutions null and void, should any non-compliance be discovered.

Mr. Gordeyev was supported in his action by Sergey Mironov, RF Federation Counsel Chairman, who signed an appeal to the Russian Federation Prosecutor General to organize, at the Prosecutor General's Office level, a review of the situation with Melnikov's House and take measures as appropriate for the public prosecutor's supervision, if required.

S. Gordeyev's Petition to the Moscow City Public Prosecutor

S. Mironov's Petition to the Russian Federation Prosecutor General

On May 8, 2007, at the initiative of Russian Avantgarde Foundation, Valery Shevchuk, Head of the Moscow City Committee for Protecting Cultural Heritage, convened a meeting concerning the construction of a multipurpose shopping mall and entertainment center next to Melnikov's House The meeting was attended by Sergey Gordeyev, a member of the RF Federal Assembly Federation Council, Russian Avantgarde Foundation President; Mikhail Vilkovsky, Russian Avantgarde Foundation Executive Director; Clementine Cecil, co-founder of Moscow Architecture Preservation Society; a number of specialists from the Moscow City Committee for Protecting Cultural Heritage, representatives of the developer company as well as by Konstantin Melnikov's granddaughter Ekaterina Karinskaya.

The meeting made the decision to suspend the construction work.

Meeting Minutes