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[SOVIET RIVER TRANSPORT AFTER WWII] Arkhitektura rechnykh vokzalov i pavil'onov [i.e. Architecture of River Terminals and Pavilions]

Ionov, B.

Item #2867

Moscow: Gos. izd-vo lit. po stroitel'stvu i arkhitekture, 1951. 108 pp.: ills, schemes. 30x22,8 cm. In original publisher’s illustrated wrappers. Tears of the spine, but otherwise near fine. Previous owner’s ink inscription: V. Gvasalia. 1/IX, 1951.

Scarce. First edition. 1 of 5000 copies. Text in Russian. Edited by V. Vinograd. Front wrapper features an illustration of Ionov’s projected river station in Gorky, a design that was never realized.

A rare and comprehensive 1951 Stalinist-era architectural monograph exploring the typology, structural engineering, and artistic composition of Soviet river transport architecture.

The author, B. Ionov, was a Soviet architect specializing in the design of river transport facilities. He served as a project leader and participated in the design of river terminals and pavilions at the Architectural Design Workshop of the USSR Ministry of River Fleet.

The book grew out of Ionov’s study of existing, newly constructed, and projected river stations and pavilions across the Soviet Union. According to the introduction, its purpose was to acquaint architects and engineers with practical experience in the design, construction, and operation of river stations, drawing on projects along the country’s major waterways. As a practicing architect, Ionov had himself participated in the design of several of the buildings discussed.

The edition is divided into nine sections covering the principal aspects of river-station design, from the planning of station grounds, passenger traffic, and the classification of facilities to structural engineering, architectural design, construction methods, regional pavilions, and specialized floating structures. Throughout the main text, Ionov examines specific examples of river stations from across the Soviet Union and singles out the station in Vologda as an example of particularly successful architectural treatment (the building is no longer in operation and is now facing demolition). Ionov also discusses several passenger buildings constructed along the Dnieper in the 1930s, noting the presence of Constructivist and, more cautiously, Formalist elements in their architecture. The edition is especially important for its extensive visual documentation, comprising 126 plans, diagrams, and black-and-white illustrations recording the early development of Soviet river architecture. The illustrations depict river stations, passenger buildings, pavilions, and embankments throughout the Soviet Union. Among the river stations represented are Kalinin (partially destroyed), Khimki (renovated and modernized), Molotov (a restored architectural monument, now used as a cultural space), Rostov-on-Don (replaced by a new station), and Kuibyshev (demolished). The passenger buildings include those at Zaporizhzhia and Kremenchug (both destroyed during the Second World War), while the pavilions include examples from Astrakhan and Dmitrov on the Moscow Canal (both destroyed). The volume also documents embankments in Astrakhan, Moscow, Yaroslavl, Rostov-on-Don, and Khabarovsk.

The edition further includes a series of practical tables detailing the composition and dimensions of spaces within river stations; comparative data on floor areas, cubic capacity, number of storeys, and room heights for existing and projected stations; approximate calculations of floor areas and cubic capacity for river-station buildings of different classes; and corresponding calculations for freestanding passenger pavilions and suburban transport pavilions.

Overall, a rare and richly illustrated insight into the planning, design, and architectural ambitions of Soviet river transport infrastructure in the early postwar period.

Price: $500.00