RUSSIA     2006  

St. Petersburg
September 11–13, 2006

I returned to The Political History Museum to continue my work of helping with the entrance of the museum which was begun in the winter of 2005. Of principal note is the Architectural Defense Committee (GIOP) has reviewed the plans at least one additional time since my meeting with them last December and has mandated that any new entry be limited in footprint and elevation so as to not impact the historic façade nor the planned and approved historic renovation for the former gardens of the Brandt and Kshesinskaya mansions. This leaves a space of approximately 6 meters (20 ft) by 2 meter wide for the “new entry” of which there must be two for the sake of symmetry.

I explored the option of starting the visitor sequence not with the bulky Stalin period façade but rather the Kshesinskaya mansion’s great Russian Modern. Entering into that courtyard and then through the red stone arch into the rear courtyard seemed to give a great path full of opportunities to interpret the time before 1905 in a way that the existing entry does not. Also, by entering in this manner you arrive at a blend of historic space and new space rather than descending into the vertically challenged lower level of the existing museum.

I presented the studies. Variant 1 explored a traditional/classical approach to the entry boxes. One contains a stair while the other contains a small lift for handicapped (or differently abled). Variant 2 explored a modern enclosure and Variant 3 lessoned the impact to the architectural façade and provided a more gracious descent into the lower level. I made a case for considering the entry through the historic Kshesinskaya mansions courtyard. The efforts were supported, and they were willing to let the proposed notion of changing the entry location be presented to their architects.

At the meeting there was lively discussion as to the work that had been completed to date and how the new entry sequence could add to the visitor’s quality of experience. The Executive Director reminded all assembled that it is for the visitor that all of this work is being considered. It was the opinion of the Museum’s architect that the proposed new entry location was very workable and the possibilities were full of opportunities.

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