Kremlin Plans to Dismantle Moscow’s Shukhov Radio Tower

Contractors dispatched by the Kremlin are set to begin dismantling the Shukhov Radio Tower, a steel-lattice structure that has stood on a quiet street south of Moscow’s city centre since its completion in 1922. The tower’s owners argue that the metal framework is beyond repair and that proposals for alternatives to demolition are financially out of reach.

New York Times

Designed by engineer-architect Vladimir Shukhov, the tower has long been celebrated as a symbol of Soviet-era ambition and engineering prowess. Its distinctive lattice design has made it an iconic piece of 20th-century architecture and a focal point for scholars of Russian industrial heritage.

New York Times

A coalition of architects, engineers, and heritage advocates responded with an open petition urging the government to reconsider the demolition. The group organized a festival dedicated to Shukhov’s work and offered free walking tours to highlight the tower’s cultural value. Airat Bagautdinov, an architectural historian leading the campaign, emphasized that the decision appears driven primarily by cost concerns.

New York Times

The tower’s owners state that corrosion has compromised the steel lattice to the point where restoration is impractical. They further contend that the expense of preserving the structure would exceed any feasible budget, making demolition the only viable option. No detailed cost estimates have been released, and Kremlin officials have not provided additional commentary beyond authorizing the contractors’ arrival.

New York Times

• “Nobody knows in advance which specific elements can be preserved and which cannot,” — Mr. Bagautdinov, an architectural historian and a leader of the preservation campaign — Mr. Bagautdinov, an architectural historian and a leader of the preservation campaign

New York Times