Innovative concepts in the Kharkiv projects of J. Steinberg of the capital period

Abstract

The innovative concepts of Jacob Steinberg, one of the leaders of constructivism architecture, the head of the Society of Modern Architects of Ukraine (OSAU) are considered. The projects of J. Steinberg by the purity of functionalist literacy are comparable to the projects of leading OSA masters. Among Steinberg’s Kharkiv projects - recognized as masterpieces of constructivism - the Builders’ Club, the building of the Central Committee of the CP(b)U, a complex of the Kharkiv Civil Engineering Institute on Shatilovka, a residential complex on the Pushkinskyi entrance. The unique Steinberg’s objects, that were revolutionary for their time, weren’t taken under protection and today they have been lost, rebuilt, or are in ultimate limit state. His legacy is still waiting for his collectors, organizers and researchers. Comprehensive research is needed, on the basis of which it will be possible to develop a strategy for documenting and preserving the Kharkiv objects of an outstanding Ukrainian architect. This applies to the possibility of complete restoration of the houses at the Pushkinskyi entrance, removal of distortions introduced into the building of the Builders’ Club during the post-war restructuring, graphic reconstruction of the lost Central Committee building and irreversibly rebuilt complex of ex. KhICE. The report discusses the prospects for the formation of citywide and national programs for research, documentation and preservation of the architectural heritage of interwar modernism.