Kauchuk Factory Club

Kauchuk rubber factory, originally based in Riga, relocated to Khamovniki in Moscow in 1915, threatened by German offensive, and was considerably expanded afterwards. Construction of a club was part of a 1920s nationwide drive to replace religion with more appropriate entertainment. Melnikov theorized that "Club is not a stern temple of some deity. We must attain such an atmosphere, that we would not need to drag a worker in. He would run there himself, past his home and past his pub... the club, if it succeeds, will show what the new private life is all about" (Russian: Клуб – не строгий храм какого-то божества. В нем нужно добиться такой обстановки, чтоб рабочего в клуб не тащить, а он сам бы бежал в него мимо дома и пивной… клуб должен, если сумеет, показать, как устроен новый быт).[1]

2007 photograph

The club, like all 1920s buildings, is under threat of demolition. As of March, 2007, preservationists succeeded to delay demolition. The building operates a night club and a restaurant, and is in adequate external condition; huge neon lettering that existed in 2003, has been removed. However, its interiors are lost to indiscriminate renovation, original windows are replaced with improperly-sized modern frames. According to Russian press, the building is operated by "Academy of Russian Art",[2] established by pianist Nikolai Petrov.

• Khan-Magomedov, "Pioneers of Soviet Architecture: The Search for New Solutions in the 1920s and 1930s", Thames and Hudson Ltd, ISBN 978-0-500-34102-5
• Russian bio: Russian: Хан-Магомедов, С.О., "Константин Мельников", М, 2006 ISBN 5-9647-0095-0 (Khan-Magomedov, 2006)