Garages being demolished in the center of Minsk — a unique monument of pre-war constructivism
In Minsk, the demolition of a historic building, hidden in the courtyards of Independence Avenue, has begun. A rare example of pre-war industrial architecture for the capital – garages designed by the famous architect Gerasim Yakushka – has fallen under the excavator's bucket. All other surviving buildings by this master in Minsk have protected status, but the garages never managed to receive it.
Demolition of pre-war garages in Minsk. Photo: Telegram channel "Spadchyna"
The start of the demolition was reported by the Telegram channel "Spadchyna". The building is located at 81A Independence Avenue, in the courtyard of the Academy of Arts. It was erected in 1932 as a specialized garage for 20 cars for the "Glavdortrans" road combine (later – the Road Technical College).
Demolition of pre-war garages in Minsk. Photo: Telegram channel "Spadchyna"
Garages before demolition. Photo: Telegram channel "Spadchyna"
The garages had a complex planning form: part of the walls protruded like "teeth," resembling a saw, which was dictated by the technological process. It is known that parking spaces arranged at an angle to the drive-through are more convenient for cars to enter, and the implementation of this principle was reflected in the building's exterior.
Project of the garages by Gerasim Yakushka. Photo: Telegram channel "Spadchyna"
On Yakushka's original project, it is visible that the garages had four exits, located opposite each other. In one part of the building, there was a service area with rooms for vulcanization, tire fitting with a compressor, a mechanical workshop, an inspection pit, and a car wash. The other part of the building only had small rooms intended for the garage manager and driver.
Researchers note that this was one of the few pre-war garages in the city that survived to our days almost in its original form. However, the lack of historical and cultural value status sealed its fate.
After almost a century of operation without major repairs, the pre-war garage building deteriorated but did not lose its recognizable Constructivist features. Photo: Telegram channel "Spadchyna"
The "teeth" of the walls of the pre-war garage. Photo: Telegram channel "Spadchyna"
The "teeth" of the walls of the pre-war garage. Photo: Telegram channel "Spadchyna"
Who was Gerasim Yakushka?
The author of the garage project is a significant figure for the Belarusian capital. Gerasim Yakushka was born in 1900 into a peasant family near Mogilev. For his son to get an education, his father even sold a horse – this money allowed the boy to enter the Petrograd Institute of Civil Engineers.
Yakushka returned to Belarus and made a brilliant career: from a simple engineer to the chief architect of Minsk (he held this position from 1936 to 1941). It was he who participated in adjusting the city's master plan before the war and defined the appearance of the future Independence Avenue.
The architect's fate was tragic: he remained in occupied Minsk and died of typhus in January 1942. He is buried in the Military Cemetery.
The only work without status
The Constructivist building of the polyclinic on Myasnikova Street, 26, built according to Gerasim Yakushka's project and recognized as a historical and cultural value. Photo: Wikimapia
Today, Minsk is impossible to imagine without Yakushka's buildings. Among his works are the building of school No. 4 on Chyrvonayarmeyskaya Street; the building of the Minsk Polytechnic (Independence Avenue, 85), located in the same block as the garages, just a few tens of meters from them; the City Executive Committee residential building (Independence Avenue, 43); the former Belarusian Military District Headquarters building (former hotel, Independence Avenue, 27); the former central workers' polyclinic (Myasnikova Street, 26) and others.
The Constructivist building of the Automatic Telephone Exchange (ATS) on Karla Marksa Street, built according to Gerasim Yakushka's project and destroyed during the war. Photo 1934. Photo: Wikimedia Commons
It should be emphasized: all listed Yakushka buildings that survived the war and are preserved in the capital are today recognized as historical and cultural values and are under state protection. The garages in the courtyard of the Academy of Arts were almost the only exception to this list.
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