Посохин

Born in 1910 in the Siberian town of Tomsk, Posokhin was just ten years younger than Vlasov. After working at Kuznteskstroi, one of the biggest construction sites of the industrialization period he moved to Moscow where he quickly climbed to the top of the architectural profession. Starting from 1935 he held different positions within the Moscow architectural administration. In 1949 he received the Stalin prize for the high-rise in Vosstania square, one of the Seven Sisters. At the same time he experimented with new industrial methods of construction. In the early 1950s Posokhin worked hand in hand with Vlasov, who was the chief architect of Moscow at that time 537

One could argue that these two characters were not very different. They were not so different: both were high-achievers and careerists seeking protection from high officials. Both, but at different times, were very close to Khrushchev. Nevertheless, in this battle of equals, Posokhin proved to be more flexible. His interest in industrial methods of construction indisputably helped him after the 1954 reorientation of Soviet architecture under Khrushchev’s command. While Vlasov was reluctant to revise his professional credo significantly and had to rely on younger colleagues to maintain his status in the profession after 1954, Posokhin appeared to be eager to adjust to the new rules of the game and was much more dexterous in taking over the authorities’ initiatives.538

On October 17, 1961 the Kremlin Palace of Congresses designed by Posokhin and built in a record time of only sixteen months opened its doors to host the 22nd Congress of the Communist Party. The news came as a crushing blow to the idea of constructing another huge complex for conventions, such as the Palace of Soviets. Although the construction of the Kremlin Palace had already started in 1960 until the very end Vlasov hoped for implementation of the Palace of Soviets project. Lezhava recalled that during the year 1961 Vlasov was constantly expecting Khrushchev to come to visit the Department of the Palace of Soviets Construction and see the drawings. All the four-meter frescoes that so many people had worked on, all the enormous perspectives and layouts of the Palace of Soviets were intended for one important viewer – Khrushchev. And yet he did not come. Vlasov even once insisted on moving all these bulky presentation materials to an exhibition that Khrushchev was scheduled to attend. However, none of these efforts brought any result. Lezhava recalled: “Khrushchev was not coming. The Palace was ceasing to be. Posokhin was defeating Vlasov”.539 The construction of the Kremlin Palace of Congresses put an end to a thirty-year history of designing the emblem of the socialist state. To a certain extent the constructors of the Kremlin Palace appropriated the idea of the Palace of Soviets and transformed it into something new.

To build a huge convention hall within the Kremlin walls appears to be a personal decision of Khrushchev, which he announced in 1959. Arguably, he was genuinely impressed by the Great Hall of the People in Tiananmen Square inaugurated on the day of the tenth anniversary of the People’s Republic of China. Khrushchev was present at the event and then later in December 1959 the Soviet government commissioned a group of three experts to visit Beijing to learn more about the design of the Great Hall of the People.540 It is sometimes argued that the construction of the Palace of Congresses was initially Posokhin’s idea. He had become significantly closer to Khrushchev after heading the Pitsunda health resort development project and could have had a direct impact on his decision-making. What is true is that designing the project for Kremlin was entrusted to Posokhin and his bureau. Moreover, in 1960 he became chief Moscow architect and in 1964 he would head the construction of another emblematic project of the Khrushchev era –Kalinin prospect, also known as Novyi Arbat.541 In short, from 1959-1961 Posokhin succeeded in becoming a key expert on Soviet architecture in Khrushchev’s eyes.

Daria Bocharnikova. Inventing Socialist Modern

Сноски
537 Posokhin, Dorogi zhizni: iz zapisok arkhitektora. “Mikhail Vasil'evich Posokhin. K 60-letiiu so dnia rozhdenia,” Arkhitektura SSSR, no. 12 (1970): 11–14. 538 More on Vlasov’s views after 1954 see in Steven Harris, Two Lessons in Modernism: What the Architectural Review and America’s Mass Media Taught Soviet Architects about the West. (Trondheim: Program on East European Cultures and Societies, 2010).