Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia main building

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia main building is one of seven Stalinist skyscrapers, designed and overseen by Vladimir Gelfreykh and Adolf Minkus.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia main building
Здание Министерства иностранных дел РФ
General information
Architectural styleStalinist
Location32/34 Smolenskaya-Sennaya pl, Moscow, Russia
Coordinates55°44′45″N 37°35′03″E
Construction started1948
Completed1953
Height
Roof172 m (564 ft)
Technical details
Floor count27
Lifts/elevators28
Design and construction
ArchitectVladimir Gelfreykh, Adolf Minkus

Features
Overall view with the main building of Moscow State University in the background
Borodinsky Bridge and the Ministry building by night

The skyscraper has 27 levels and is 172 metres (564 ft) tall. It's covered by a light external stone wall with projecting pilasters and pylons. The interior is decorated with stones and metals. A metal spire tops the tower's roof, assimilating its silhouette with those of the other six Sisters.

History

The skyscraper was laid down in 1948 and completed in 1953. According to the biography of the architect Minkus (published in 1982), draft plans were first drawn up in 1946 and ranged from 9 to 40 stories. In 1947 two designs were proposed: one utilized layered setbacks while the other called for a more streamlined construction which culminated in a blunt rectangular top. In the second and approved design a metal spire, presumably ordered by Joseph Stalin, was hastily added to the tower's roof.[1][2] Currently the building houses the offices for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

Notes
  1. Kiernan, Maria. Moscow: A Guide to Soviet and Post-Soviet Architecture, Ellipis, London, 1998, p.126. 127
  2. Russian: Варзар, Л., «М. А. Минкус», М, 1982, p.66
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