Published on: 2026-08-21
Source: Moscow Government – Правительства Москвы –
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Moscow continues the largest restoration program in its history. In six months, more than 30 architectural monuments have been restored in the capital. Sergey Sobyanin shared this in his blog.
“ In the first six months of 2026, work was completed on more than 30 cultural heritage sites. Among them were
Church of Elijah the Prophet“, as well as the ensemble of the Pokrovskoye-Streshnevo estate,” wrote the Mayor of Moscow.
In the Basmanny district on Maroseyka Street, the restoration of the facades of the main house of the Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky estate has been completed. This building is a unique architectural monument from the late 18th to mid-19th century. More than half of the surface of its facades is covered with stucco decor. The last large-scale restoration work was carried out in 2013–2014. In 2026, specialists carefully cleaned and strengthened the surfaces, restored lost metal elements of the balconies, and repaired the exterior stairs. Today, the building houses the Embassy of the Republic of Belarus.
In Khamovniki, the historic appearance was restored to the wooden mansion of S.V. Melnikov — P.F. Emelyanova — Toplenin. It is known as the Master’s house from Mikhail Bulgakov’s novel “The Master and Margarita.”
This building became one of the most complex projects in 2026. The log structure was in an emergency condition. To replace the rotten logs and crowns, the building was suspended on special frameworks. Specialists carefully restored the white stone plinth, historic windows, wooden wall cladding, and facade decoration. Inside the house, they recreated the staircase, wooden floors, and also restored two tile stoves based on surviving fragments. In the interior, they made a transparent opening to allow viewing of the museum-preserved section of the old ceiling.
Interesting finds are often encountered during work. For instance, an old inkwell from the early 20th century was discovered in the basement of the mansion.
On Prechistenka Street, a monument to the students of Moscow’s special artillery schools who showed courage and heroism during the Great Patriotic War has been restored. The granite stele with bas-reliefs was installed exactly fifty years ago, in 1976. It is located in front of the building that housed one of the special schools during the war (today it is school No. 1231). During the work, specialists reinforced the monument’s foundation, performed deep cleaning of the granite, restored lost stone, refreshed the gilding on the memorial inscriptions, and improved the area around it.
The restoration of the Burenin income house on Nizhnyaya Krasnoselskaya Street has been completed in the Krasnoselsky district. This is a rare example of rational modernism. The building was constructed in 1915 based on a design by Vyacheslav Oltarzhevsky — the first chief architect of the All-Union Agricultural Exhibition.
Specialists restored the building’s historic appearance. They waterproofed the foundation, restored the main lantern supported by lions and the cartouche above the main entrance. According to old blueprints, they newly crafted the metal entrance gates. Inside the house, craftsmen refurbished the vestibule, the main staircase, and restored the unique Metlakh tiles.
The restoration of the watchman’s hut at the Alekseevskaya pumping station has been completed in the Alekseevsky district. It was built in 1892. This complex is part of the Mytishchi water supply system and a vivid example of Maxim Geppener’s industrial red-brick architecture.
During the restoration, the masters cleaned the facades, restored the lost brick decor and pediments, reinforced the old Monier vaults in the basement, and installed architectural lighting. Immediately after the restoration, a cozy tea room opened in the former gatehouse.
Earlier, specialists also restored other facilities of the Alekseyevskaya pumping station. Among them are the 50-meter smokestack and the main water-lifting building. Today, work continues on the territory to restore the vestibule of the Alekseyevsky reservoir.
Restoration of the experimental house-workshop of Konstantin Melnikov has been completed in Krivoarbatsky Lane. The building was constructed in the 1920s in the style of Soviet avant-garde. It features a unique composition of two cylinders intersecting each other, forming the figure eight in plan. One of them is decorated with a five-meter stained glass window, while the other is pierced by 57 hexagonal windows.
Specialists reinforced the building’s structures, renovated the roof with its unusual drainage system, restored the brickwork, and also tidied up the facade inscription “Konstantin Melnikov. Architect.” Inside the house, they restored the floors, spiral staircase, and interior doors, as well as returned the walls to their authentic colors revealed during the research.
Today, the building serves as a branch of the A.V. Shchusev State Museum of Architecture. Memorial furnishings will soon be restored here. The museum will welcome its first visitors by the end of 2026. It can be visited as part of small guided tour groups. In the garden, a separate outdoor exhibition dedicated to the famous architect is planned. During the warm season, lectures, film screenings, and workshops will be held here.
The restoration of the facades of the old building of Moscow State University on Mokhovaya Street has been completed. It was built at the end of the 18th century by the architect Matvey Kazakov. The building was severely damaged during the fire of 1812 and was later rebuilt by Domenico Gilardi.
The specialists restored the brickwork, plaster, and the intricate stucco decorations, refurbished the white stone plinth and all the porches — from the main to the side ones. The craftsmen also restored the oak windows, window sills, and marble windowsills inside.
Work has been completed in two buildings of Ivan Sytin’s printing house on Pyatnitskaya Street in Zamoskvorechye. The complex was built in 1903. Leo Tolstoy, Maxim Gorky, and Vladimir Mayakovsky frequented these walls, and Sergey Yesenin even worked here as a proofreader.
Last year, specialists carried out the restoration of the facades of the main building, the grand staircase, and three unique stained-glass windows with facets.
This year, the work continued. The craftsmen restored the old production building and the building with warehouses and employees’ apartments. They cleaned the walls from later layers of plaster, paint, and cement, carried out the repair of damaged masonry, restored the arched lintels with keystones, the decoration of window and door openings, and returned the facades to their original color.
From September 24 to 27, Ivan Sytin’s transformed printing house will host the fifth exhibition “PROrestoration. Import substitution in restoration materials and technologies.” Visitors to the capital will be able to see the process of monument revival, participate in master classes, and get acquainted with authentic elements of old Moscow. The event will traditionally bring together leading domestic restorers, foreign experts, design institutes, and museums.
Restorers are currently working on almost 500 cultural heritage sites. By 2026, it is planned to complete the restoration of over 100 more buildings. Among them are the house of Soviet sculptor Nikolai Andreev, the Italian Pavilion of the Ostankino Palace, the main building of the Central Moscow Hippodrome, the facades of the Cathedral of the Epiphany in Yelokhovo, and other sites.
A large-scale project has appeared on the mos.ru portal special project, dedicated to the development of key areas of Moscow. Among them are transport, industry, healthcare, education, sports, and construction. The special project helps to understand how the capital has changed over the past years, which initiatives aimed at making the lives of citizens even more comfortable are currently being implemented, and what awaits Moscow and its residents in the near future.
On the project page “Culture, Heritage, and Leisure Industry” you can learn about how architectural monuments are preserved in the capital.
Moscow is the center of the country’s cultural life and ranks among the leading metropolises in terms of the number of museums and exhibition halls. The city has established a film cluster that includes the “Moskino” Film Factory on Ryazansky Prospekt, the Gorky Film Studio, and the “Moskino” Film Park.
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