Gorodok Chekistov, Constructivist residential complex in central Yekaterinburg, Russia.
Gorodok Chekistov is a constructivist residential complex in central Yekaterinburg with fourteen buildings arranged in a semicircle. The eleven-story Iset Hotel serves as the central structure of this architectural composition.
The ensemble was built between 1929 and 1936 as a housing project for NKVD personnel under the direction of architects Ivan Antonov and Veniamin Sokolov. This period shaped a particular direction in Soviet residential architecture and urban planning.
The complex shows Soviet communal ideals, where shared spaces replaced original individual kitchens and bathrooms in the apartments. This design shaped how neighbors lived together and interacted in ways quite different from modern housing.
The complex is centrally located in Yekaterinburg and easily accessible on foot, making it simple to explore. Building number 10 houses the Sverdlovsk Regional Museum and offers visitors access to historical exhibitions.
The residential buildings are positioned at a ten-degree angle to the street lines, creating a distinct spatial rhythm. This unexpected arrangement gives the site a particular geometric quality that is not immediately obvious at first glance.
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