Building of Prisutstvennye Mesta

OBJECT DESCRIPTION

The construction of the Building of Prisutstvennye Mesta (Public Offices) took place from 1767 to 1773 under the direction of the Moscow architect V.I. Kaftyrev. It was a two-storey Provincial Chancellery building located in the south-eastern part of the Kazan Kremlin. The building was intended for the work of the officials and government staff. Later, new two-storey buildings were added to it, and the total length of the building began to reach 202 metres. The building has a ground floor with vaulted rooms and windows facing outside.

Two through passageways divide the building into 3 sections. The passageways lead to the courtyard, located between the fortress wall and the building itself.

The Kazan Vicegerency was founded in 1781 as a consequence of administrative reforms, and it raised concerns about the Governor-General’s arrangement. On this basis, it was decided to hand over the Chancellery’s premises to the Vicegerent and to build some more rooms next to them additionally. As a result, the official was handed management of a luxurious two-storey, fifteen-window house with a flanking building attached under the angle. The Chancelleries of ceremonial receptions, the governor’s private quarters, and a large throne hall were all located on the second floor. The throne hall was thought to be the most luxurious area in the entire establishment. There were musician’s choirs in the centre, placed atop magnificent columns around the perimeter. In 1798, in honour of Paul I’s arrival, the first Ball was held here, where, in addition to members of the “high society”, the richest representatives of Tatar merchants, their families, and clergy, including the mufti, gathered.

The architectural object was restored after a fire in 1815 using architect A. Schmidt’s drawings and now resembles a single building.

The building was constructed in the classical style. The building’s architectural peculiarity is the simple protrusion of its main façade, which gives the impression of central and side risalites (building portions that protrude beyond the main façade line). The building’s decoration is modest: architraves (an overhead decoration in the shape of a frame) highlight the windows on the first and second levels, while intermediate cornices separate the floors. On the second level, the façade is embellished with rustication (rectangular protrusions) and ends with a triangular pediment, which is rusticated similarly.

The building underwent a comprehensive restoration that was finished in 2005.