In a small park in Moscow, tucked behind the American Embassy, a former aristocratic estate, a glitzy shopping mall and a towering Stalinist skyscraper, stand several boxy, dilapidated and seemingly forgotten buildings. The complex looks a bit like a futuristic spaceship that never took off. Its decaying façades suggest impending demolition.
Yet inside, a team led by Alexei Ginzburg, a Russian architect, is working to restore these buildings to their original state. The scene resembles an archaeological dig, as they burrow into walls and floors to study their innards and peel away layers of paint to search for the colours that covered the interiors when they were first decorated. They are making this effort because, despite their sorry condition, these buildings are some of the most influential in the history of architecture.
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