Taganka Theatre (Moscow) | interesting place, 1912_construction, 19th century construction, Modern (architecture), object of cultural heritage of federal importance (Russia), 1980s construction

 theatre, interesting place, 1912_construction, 19th century construction, Modern (architecture), object of cultural heritage of federal importance (Russia), 1980s construction

Trading rows or markets similar to those of Kitai Gorod stood in this area. Then in 1833, Prokofiev Mushnikov built a two-story house with two entrances. At the start of the 20th century, the owner, Chizhov, reconstructed the residence for trade purposes. Over the years it has served as a theater, a bank and even a culinary store. Just before the Revolution, it was remodeled as the Volcano cinema. After the Russian civil war, it was a studio theater at which Yevgeny Vakhtangov performed. For a brief time it was affiliated with the Maly Theater.

Under the direction of Yuri Liubimov since 1964, the structure was redesigned between 1973 and 1983 to increase the auditorium size and to add technical space by including several small nearby buildings. The current red brick and white building effectively unites these areas, providing the possibility of performing in all the possible spaces, including the courtyards, auditoriums, and foyers. Large expanses of brick contrasting with the white ceiling bring the color scheme inside. Although the colored marble on the main vestibule floor seems to be a geometric pattern, it is actually the floor plan of the building complex.