Central House of Architect, Granatny Lane (Pereulok), Moscow, Russia

The building of the present-day Central House of Architect is one of Moscow’s best examples of the neo-gothic style. The building was completed in 1896 by architect Adolf Erichson as a private estate. The interior of the house was done in different styles — gothic, baroque, and eclectic. The house was later transferred to the leader of Moscow’s nobility — Pyotr Bazilyevsky. After the Revolution, it housed the Revolutionary Military Council in 1919, a bureau for servicing foreigners in the 1920’s, and a French Embassy in the 1930’s. Starting from 1937, the mansion has been occupied by the Central House of Architect in accordance with the decision of Politburo of the Central Committee of the Communist Party.

Between 1939 and 1941, the building was expanded: an auditorium and a lobby were added on the 1^st floor, and a restaurant designed by architect Miron Merzhanov in the basement. An add-on façade decoration with three vaulted portals was designed by famous Soviet architect Andrei Burov in the 15^th century Italian architectural style. In 1975, yet another building was added (designed by Boris Tkhor) with a spacious lobby, conference and exhibition halls, and various administrative rooms.