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Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg

Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Founded in 1723 to the east of the Ural Mountains on the border of Europe and Asia, Ekaterinburg, or Yekaterinburg, was a mining and metal-working center, and one of Russia's first industrial cities. Planned on a grid system with manufacturing and residential areas enclosed within a walled enclave, the city became a transportation crossroads when the Siberian highway arrived in 1763, and commerce with the East gained it the nickname "the window on Asia." In 1923, Ekaterinburg became the administrative center of the vast Urals region. Renamed Sverdlovsk from 1924 until it returned to its pre-Soviet name in 1991, the city became an arsenal for military technology and armaments during World War II. After the war, Sverdlovsk continued to develop as a major industrial and cultural center of the Urals.

The preservation of historic buildings from many periods in Ekaterinburg is documented here in photographs taken in 1999 from the collection of William Craft Brumfield. Of particular note is the constructivist architecture—commercial buildings, apartment blocks and office buildings—built during the 1930s’ Soviet five-year plans.

Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Rastorguev Estate (K. Libknekht Street, no. 44). Right to left: main house, entrance gate, and wing, 1794–1847. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Church of the Ascension, southeast view, 1792–1818. Photo © William Craft Brumfield

Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

House of Main Director of Urals Mines (Raboch'ia Molodezh' Quay, no. 3), 1820s. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Verkh-Isetskii Factory Hospital, Pavilion Wing (Verkh-Isetskii Boulevard, no. 9),1824–1826. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Edinoverie Church of the Trinity, northeast view during post-Soviet reconstruction. Photo © William Craft Brumfield       

Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Log house (Karl Libknekht Street, no. 41), 19th century. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Sevast'ianov House (District Court; Lenin Prospect, no. 35), 1860–1866, by A. I. Paduchev (active 1860s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Right: I. L. Bukhonin House (8th of March Street, no. 24); left: V. N. Ivanov House (8th of March Street, no. 26), 1870s. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

M. M. Oshurkov House (Chapaev Street, no. 10), 1870. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

A. E. Borchaninov House (8th of March Street, no.18), 1880s. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Church of All Saints, Mikhailovskoe Cemetery, southwest view, 1886–1890. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Wooden house (Tolmachev Street, no. 24), late 19th century. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Wooden house (Proletarskaia Street, no. 10), 1890s. Photo © William Craft Brumfield 

Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Davidov House (Chapaev Street, no. 5) , late 19th century. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

E. F. Filitts House (Mamin-Sibiriak Street, no. 187), c. 1900. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

E. I. Pervushin House (Treasury; Radishchev Street, no. 2, and 8th of March Street, no. 28), 1900s. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Children's Philharmonic (8th of March Street, no. 36), 1900s. Photo © William Craft Brumfield      
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Railroad Workers House of Culture (Cheliuskintsy Street, no. 102), 1920s. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Office building (Malyshev Street, no. 24, and Khokhriakov Street, no. 25), c. 1930. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Water tower (Culture Street at Donbass Street), 1929. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Gostiazhprom apartment complex (Lenin Prospect, no. 52, at Bazhov Street), 1930s. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Office building (Tolmachev Street, no. 18), c. 1930. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Headquarters of the Ural Military District (Lenin Prospect, no. 71), 1930s. In foreground: statue of Soviet military hero Georgy Zhukov (1896–1974), 1995. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Press house (Ural'skii Rabochii publishing house; Lenin Prospect, no. 49), 1929–1930, by Georgi A. Golubev (1883–1949). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Chekists' Village (Gorodok Chekistov; Lenin Prospect, no. 69), Building 1, currently Hotel Iset, 1929–1932, by I. Antonov (active 1920s–1930s), V. Sokolov (active mid-20th century), and A. Tumbasov (active 1920s–1930s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Chekists' Village (Gorodok Chekistov; Lenin Prospect, no. 69), Building 1, currently Hotel Iset, 1929–1932, by I. Antonov (active 1920s–1930s), V. Sokolov (active mid-20th century), and A. Tumbasov (active 1920s–1930s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Chekists' Village (Gorodok Chekistov; Lenin Prospect, no. 69), Building 1, currently Hotel Iset, 1929–1932, by I. Antonov (active 1920s–1930s), V. Sokolov (active mid-20th century), and A. Tumbasov (active 1920s–1930s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Chekists' Village (Gorodok Chekistov; Lenin Prospect, no. 69), Building 1, currently Hotel Iset, 1929–1932, by I. Antonov (active 1920s–1930s), V. Sokolov (active mid-20th century), and A. Tumbasov (active 1920s–1930s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Chekists' Village, Club (Gorodok Chekistov; Lenin Prospect, no. 69), entrance to Building 10, currently Hotel Iset, 1931, by Antonov (active 1920s–1930s), V. Sokolov (active mid-20th century), and A. Tumbasov (active 1920s–1930s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Chekists' Village, club (Gorodok Chekistov; Lenin Prospect, no. 69), main stairway of Building 10, currently Hotel Iset, 1931, by I. Antonov (active 1920s–1930s), V. Sokolov (active mid-20th century), and A. Tumbasov (active 1920s–1930s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Uraloblsovet apartment complex (Dom Uraloblsoveta; Malyshev Street, no. 21), Building 1, 1931–1933, by Moisei Ginzburg (1892–1946) and Aleksandr L. Pasternak (1893–1982). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Uraloblsovet apartment complex (Dom Uraloblsoveta; Malyshev Street, no. 21), Buildings 1 and 2, 1931–1933, by Moisei Ginzburg (1892–1946) and Aleksandr L. Pasternak (1893–1982). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Uraloblsovet apartment complex (Dom Uraloblsoveta; Malyshev Street, no. 21), Building 3. 1931–1933, by Moisei Ginzburg (1892–1946) and Aleksandr L. Pasternak (1893–1982). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Uraloblsovet apartment complex (Dom Uraloblsoveta; Malyshev Street, no. 21), Building 3, 1931–1933, by Moisei Ginzburg (1892–1946) and Aleksandr L. Pasternak (1893–1982). In background: House (Khokhriakov Street 20), 19th century. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Uraloblsovet apartment complex (Dom Uraloblsoveta; Malyshev Street, no. 21), Buildings 4 and 5, 1931–1933, by Moisei Ginzburg (1892–1946) and Aleksandr L. Pasternak (1893–1982). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Dinamo Sports Complex (Eremin Street, no. 12), 1929–1934, by V. D. Sokolov. View across City Pond. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

House of Officers Theater (May First Street, no. 27), 1930–1941, by V. V. Emelyanov (active 1930s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

House of Officers (May First Street, no. 27), 1930–1941, by V. V. Emelyanov (active 1930s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Central Stadium (Repin Street, no. 5), 1940s. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

City Hall (Duma; Lenin Prospect, no. 24), 1947–1954, by Georgi A. Golubev (1883–1949). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Urals State Technical University (formerly Urals Polytechnic Institute; Peace Street, no. 19), c. 1950. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Urals State University (Economic Council Building; Lenin Prospect, no. 51), c. 1957, by K. T. Baibykin (active 1950s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

House of Soviets (October Square, no. 1), 1980s. View from Karl Libknekht Street, no. 44. Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Circus (8th of March Street, no. 43), 1979–1980, by I. Shvartsbreim (active late 20th century) and M. Korobov (active late 20th century). Photo © William Craft Brumfield
Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Black Tulip, monument to Soviet dead in Afghan wars, 1990s. In background: Uralavstroinvest Building (Mamin-Sibiriak Street, no. 58). Photo © William Craft Brumfield

Travels across Russia: Ekaterinburg Ekaterinburg, Sverdlovsk, Russia

Chapel of Saint Catherine, northwest view, 1998, by G. I. Beliankin (active 1990s–2000s). Photo © William Craft Brumfield

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