Water tower of cable-making shop of «Krasny gvozdilshchik» works (1930 -1931)

The water tower of the cable-making shop of the «Krasny gvozdilshchik» factory is located in one of the St.Petersburg oldest industrial areas on the south-west of the Vasilyevsky Island ("The landmark of constructivism"). The water tower was built in 1930-1931 after Iakov Chernikhov’s design.

Not many enterprises of our city, - writes Margarita Shtiglits in her monograph devoted to the industrial architecture of Leningrad, - may demonstrate such a vivid example of constructivism as this construction. Its uncovered structure fully revealed and realized the form-building possibilities of reinforced concrete».

The architect created this impressive image and achieved the maximum dynamism and expressiveness of the composition by laconic means . The feeling of lightness of hovering construction has been achieved due to the thin supports directed high into the air and holding up the rounded-off protrusion of the elevated water tank. The corner position of the tower holds the perspective of the streets by its expressive dominant.

At present this building is in charge of the Association «Steel-rolling mill» (25-line, 6, 8). The cable-making shop has been rebuilt, and the tower is inoperative, the reinforced concrete structures are aging». The construction has independent exit to the city and it can be used for municipal purposes.

The committee for state control, use and guarding of the landmarks of history and culture (KGIOP) of St. Petersburg has expanded for the last decade its activity aimed at preservation of monuments of the industrial architecture. This activity is devoted to using and including the buildings of industrial heritage into the modern urban environment ranging from organization of museums with the appropriate equipment to reconstruction for commercial, exhibitional and other functions.

Within the frames of this program, ICIF undertakes actions for singling out Iakov Chernikhov’s building from the complex of «Steel-rolling mill» into independent object being guarded by the state as the landmark of the industrial architecture of Leningrad of the 20-30ies. The Foundation is ready to perform the  redesign, restoration and general construction works for reconstruction of the facades of the cable-making shop and premises of the water tower with the arrangement of a small exhibition center inside the tower.