North Building of the Cannon Yard

OBJECT DESCRIPTION

The North Building is a component of the Cannon Yard Complex.

The building was erected in the 17th century and served as the factory workshop for an arms factory, casting, storing, and repairing artillery. It was rebuilt in the 18th century and housed the Junker Military School’s officer corps apartments. The building was rebuilt in the 20th century and restored in the 1990s. The building previously housed ministries and departments, as well as the President of the Republic of Tatarstan’s temporary residence. It now serves as the Representative Building of the Government Executive Office of the President of Tatarstan.

A symmetrical two-storey building with a ground floor is attached to the Cannon Yard’s Main Building at a right angle from the north. In front of the building is a large terrace surrounded by a balustrade, with flowerpot-adorned stairs leading to its level in both directions. The ground-floor windows have shallow arches with head mouldings (“sandrick” — a profiled cornice above the window’s architrave). The first floor has rustication and rusticated lesenes at the corners. Lesenes are extended into rectangular sections up to the top by mouldings and continue on the second floor without rustication. The floors are separated by a cornice with two fillets. The second-floor architraves for rectangular windows have a simple moulding with lugs and a window sill cornice. Counter-architrave extends across the window sill cornice to the inter-storey cornice. In the developed niche, a fascia (horizontal setback) is created.

The front portico, made out of six smooth pillars, accents the building’s axis and supports the pediment with modillions (an S-shaped ornamental element). The Republic of Tatarstan’s stucco coat of arms is in the centre of the pediment, with triangular plaquettes (a plate with a relief image) on either side.

The building’s main entrance is accessed via a staircase that extends downwards, with two side terraces enclosed by a balustrade with decorative panels. The altana (open area) is built on four square pillars with overhead pilasters and profiled archivolts with double keystone framing arched openings. The balcony, which is formed by a canopy, is surrounded by a balustrade with flowerpots mounted on supporting columns. The roof fencing also has a balustrade decorated with flowerpots. An attic with a cornice, pilasters, and an arch along the axis rises above the insert that connects the Northern and Eastern buildings. The Russian Federation and Republic of Tatarstan flags are waving atop two flagpoles that are erected on opposite sides of the ridge of the roof that covers the pediment.

In 1996-1997, the North Building was restored under the direction of F.M. Zabirova; the architect was R.M. Zabirov, the engineering part of the project was carried out by the Kazan Promstroyproject Institute under the direction of G.I. Nikitin; the architect was A.H. Belostotskaya; the engineer was N.A. Imaikin; contractors: Yoldyz LLC, Antika, Stroyservice. The Yugoslavian company Progress was responsible for the interior design.