Chechulin Dmitry Nikolayevich (August 22, 1901, Shostka, Chernigov Governorate — †) was a Soviet architect, People's Architect of the USSR (1971), a three-time winner of the Stalin Prize (1941, 1949, 1953), and Chief Architect of Moscow from 1945 to 1949. He belonged to the first generation of Soviet architects who received their professional education after the Revolution of 1917. His Nizhny Novgorod connection is defined primarily by his work on projects for the Moscow Metro, built in the 1930s — the Okhotny Ryad station and other facilities that acquired nationwide significance.[1]
Origins and education
He was born into the family of a master at a gunpowder factory. His father, Nikolay Chechulin, organized amateur performances at the people's theater; from childhood Dmitry helped him with set design. He received his primary education at a parish school, then at a four-year municipal elementary school. In 1918 he entered the Polytechnic Technical School at the Shostka Plant, working evening shifts at the same time — after his father's death in 1917, the family needed support. In parallel, he served in the plant's guard battalion and drew propaganda posters.[1]
In 1923 he was sent to study in Moscow, at the Higher Art and Technical Workshops (VKHUTEMAS). His very first steps in the capital determined his creative inclinations: an attraction to Russian classicism of the turn of the 18th–19th centuries made Chechulin one of the exponents of the Stalinist architectural style, which by the 1960s–1970s had transformed into industrialized neoclassicism.[1]
Professional career
In July 1931, a competition was announced for the design of the Palace of Soviets on the site of the demolished Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Of the 160 submissions, only a few reflected the emerging shift from constructivism to neoclassicism. The joint project by Dmitry Chechulin and Anatoly Zhukov won first prize in February 1932 and brought the young architect professional renown, although a different design was ultimately chosen for construction.[1]
In September 1933, Aleksey Shchusev, who was working on the General Plan for the Reconstruction of Moscow, invited Chechulin to his design workshop No. 2. When a campaign of criticism was launched against Shchusev, Chechulin took over his workshop and completed a number of projects he had begun — including the Tchaikovsky Concert Hall. In the 1930s, Moscow Metro stations were built to his designs, including Okhotny Ryad; he also designed the Kiyevsky suburban railway station and the Kiyevskaya metro station.[1]
In 1939, Chechulin became head of the design department of the Moscow Soviet. From 1945 to 1949 he served as Chief Architect of Moscow. Afterward he headed Mosproekt until the end of his life.[1]
Awards and honors
People's Architect of the USSR (1971). Three-time winner of the Stalin Prize — in 1941, 1949, and 1953. Author of the memoir "Life and Architecture."[1]
Sources
- n-metro.ru — Architect Dmitry Chechulin