Architectural Heritage of the Avant-Garde era in Southern Russia

Abstract

This research explores Southern Russian architecture from the mid-1920s to 1930s considering issues of continuity, tradition, and innovation. The scope of the research comprises both well-known architectural monuments commissioned to Soviet leading professionals as well as a group of little-known architectural structures. In the paper, it is concluded that despite the fact that this period is usually associated with the widespread Soviet Avant-Garde style of architecture, the influence of other stylistic movements, such as Traditionalism and Art Deco, was also very strong. The research specifically focuses on the problem of heritage preservation. The heritage protection status does not guarantee the preservation of a building. Paradoxically, the smaller a township and the poorer the local economy, the better the state of historical architectural objects.