Official opening ceremony of the new stock exchange has been held in Petersburg, on Vasilyevsky Island. Building a new exchange being a good fact in itself, the problem is that the newly-built bulk, made from glass and concrete, is now hanging over the historical center of the city, spoiling the panorama of Vasileyvsky Island.  

The new building is called “toad” among the dwellers. Presentation of the “toad” was accompanied with a scandal. Unexpectedly – as usual! – after a few years of constructions it turned out that the new building can be seen from all over the city, as it became the tallest building in Vasilyevsky Island.    

An unprecedented thing happened at the meeting of Architectural Council of Petersburg where the governor Valentina Matvienko required sternly that the buildings must be shortened (another building is a 60-m high housing complex “Financier” erected near the “toad”). However, it is not known how to proceed with such a requirement.  

The management of the stock exchange states that as all the necessary arrangements were done exactly about such a size, they would not accept any reproof and are not going to make any changes to the building. 

The story that caused the current situation was rather complicated. The matter is that initially the project of a new stock exchange was discussed at the mayor Sobchak and first arrangements were made at the governor Yakovlev in 2000-2001, while the final construction was executed at the standing governor Valentina Matvienko. So today’s authorities, admitting that the project is an obvious architectural mistake, allege that it’s not them but their predecessors who are to be blamed for that. However, there is a slight inexactitude - to put it mildly – in such a statement. The construction of the 63-m high building of the new stock exchange was finalized and started with the standing governor, in 2004. Besides, another project appeared in 2005 for construction of a high-rise housing complex “Financier”. The height limit for Vasilyevsky Island, approved especially for those two projects, stated the maximum height of 60 m against previous 42 m. (Specialists assure that in case the new stock exchange were 42 m it would not have spoiled the view of the island).        

The classical Petersburg, built on flat boggy banks of the Neva, was developing in the pre-revolutionary period within strict construction limits – all the buildings there, with the exception of temples, could not be higher than the cornice of the Zimny Palace, which means the height of no more than 23.5 m. This is how the unique architectural ensemble was formed.   

And what about today? In spring 2004 a historic document about the temporary construction regulations was adopted with the many-year effort by the advocates of the purity of historical center of Petersburg. The city was divided into zones and the height of buildings in the historic place was limited to same 23.5 m, while the neighboring zones were restricted to 42 m. The tallest buildings were proposed to be erected in the outskirts, in purely modern districts.     

However, those regulations were canceled suddenly at the end of 2007 as an outcome of a secret polling on the phone of the persons responsible for architectural policy in the city. So the city’s government canceled the previous regulations on 28 December 2007.   

Of course, afterwards the city authorities explained that decision with one’s wish to “make it better”. Allegedly, the strict norms of the height regulations hindered the investment activities and abased the business attractiveness of the city, which might make Petersburg turn into a dead museum.     

The opponents to the city government had their own explanation to what had been done. They stated that the norms of height regulations were an obstacle for the builders who wanted to get profits out of selling the elite housing complexes with the views to the city’s historical center. And of course that was an annoyance for the officials signing permissions for construction. As of today, everyone has one’s own hands free.

Petersburg has already been “granted” a number of architectural “masterpieces” in recent years, showing the patterns of the new Russian capitalism. Many of them were constructed with violations of the existing then height regulations. So this “toad” of the new stock exchange is far from being the first experience of the kind. Is it the last one?   

The apprehensions are grounded of the defenders of the historical face of the city, as it is known about a project of buildings about 80 m high in the Moskovsky district, and a project of 140 m buildings on the Obvodnoi Canal near the Varshavsky railroad station. There are also projects for 200 m skyscrapers in Vasilyevsky Island again. And finally, there is a notorious project of “Gazprom-scraper”, the colossal 400 m building that is going to be highest in Europe.     

Today’s city authority and Russian authority and the large domestic capital on the whole believe that this way they do much good to the city. But those of their contemporaries, who take a sober view on things, they realize that such developments will lead to actual historical death of St Petersburg. 

Novaya Gazeta information

In 1990 the historical center of St Petersburg was included in the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO. As of today, there are over 800 objects in that list, situated in 137 countries, including Russia. The list features the most famous architectural masterpieces with historical parts of ancient cities among them. Those are Rome, Florence, Venice, Paris, Lyons, Vienna, Saltsburg, Bern, Bruges, Edinburgh, Prague, Warsaw, Krakow, Tallinn, Riga, Vilnius, and others.        

UNESCO has warned repeatedly that Petersburg might be excluded from the World Heritage Site list in case the plans of high-rise construction get realized. 

Direct speech

Alexander Margolis, historian, co-chair of St Petersburg branch of All-Russian Society for protection of historical and cultural monuments: 

Now the governor says it is necessary to shorten the two high-rise buildings in Vasilyevsky Island. I can hardly imagine what they count on in the city government. This suggestion has no judicial perspective. Any court will support the developer, as the developer has done all the necessary official arrangements. 

On the other hand, it seems to me that now the destiny of St Petersburg is on the scale. We must create a precedent stopping the destroying of the city’s silhouette. I believe that firm will by state is needed here… 

Moscow with its single architectural monuments stopped being a historical city at the turn of 20-21 centuries. But Moscow is different from Petersburg in its nature. There different styles and heights and combination of incompatible can go together somehow. And for Petersburg such a thing would mean death. There is no other city in the world to be as fragile as Petersburg. Just one false note in the silhouette and the magic disappears, and Petersburg dies. 

We must stop it.