Boris Velikovsky 1878-1937
Boris Velikovsky was one of the big names in constructivist architecture, worked with El Lissizky, Vesnini brothers (together with them he built a residential house in Moscow in 1908-10 for porcelain maker Boris Kuznetsov, Milukov and some other.
Boris Velikovky’s first big inspiration was Russian neoclassical architecture, and he built one of the finest mansions in this style in Moscow, Gribov house (1910), and not a single dozen of residential projects both in Moscow and St Petersburg.
At the same time he was involved in a number of big industrial projects, designing all of the porcelain factories for Kuznetsov family, huge Kovrov armament factory.
After the revolution Boris Velikovsky was involved in the new constructivist movement, and together with his friends M. Ginzburg, Vesnini brothers helped this movement to evolve into an internationally acclaimed school, relevant only to Bauhaus.
On August 1923 Boris Velikovsky provides Tsenrtosoyuz pavilion forThe First All Russian Agricultural and Domestic Industries Exhibition was opened at the initiative of the government.
Boris Velikovsky was deeply inspired by the idea of city-parks, that was shaping at the start of the century, and did a number of master plans for residential projects, including Sokol development in Moscow (1923-1927), DSK NR, Druzhba residential project, that were designed with the idea of bringing nature into the city.
His first big post-revolution project was Gostorg building (1925-1927) , the first constructivist project of the scale of the city.
In 1928 Boris Velikovsky participated in the Competition for the construction of the Tsentrosoyuz Building and won the first tour of the competition. By the end of the second tour Le Corbusier won the competition.
Another well known project Dom Knigi (1930) provides an interesting example of Late-Constructivism; the architect managed to do without the details characteristic of the epoch of "mastering classical inheritance" that came shortly afterwards.
One of the best post-constructivist projects of Boris Velikovsky was Smolensk Hotel (beginning 1937) situated in the region not far from Moscow, the project was finished by Ilia Golosov in 1939.
