Column Hall (House of Unions). Hall of Columns (House of Unions) Hall of Columns of the Noble Assembly architect

Noble Assembly in Moscow - a public building in the style of classicism, built in Okhotny Ryad for the Moscow noble assembly by M. F. Kazakov no later than 1775. In Soviet times it was renamed House of Unions.

Story

The building was built near the Kremlin, in the center of Moscow, which itself is considered the center of our fatherland. In its huge hall, as in a majestic temple, as in the heart of Russia, the idol of Catherine was placed, and no envy of her memory could tear it out. A hall in three tiers, all white, all in columns, from the bright lighting it looks like it’s on fire, thousands of visitors crowding around it, in the best clothes, choirs of music thundering in it and at the end of it, on some elevation, smiling at the general joy Catherine's marble face, as in the days of her life and our bliss!

The Hall of the Noble Assembly, where provincial and metropolitan landowners looked for suitable parties for their daughters, appears more than once on the pages of classical Russian literature - including in "Eugene Onegin" (Tatiana's first ball):

She is also brought to Sobranie.
There is cramped space, excitement, heat,
Music roars, candles sparkle,
Flashing, a whirlwind of fast steams,
Beauties have light dresses,
Choirs full of people,
A vast semicircle of brides,
All the senses are suddenly overwhelmed.
Here the dandies seem to be noteworthy
Your impudence, your vest
And an inattentive lorgnette.
Here the hussars are on vacation
They are in a hurry to appear, to thunder,
Shine, captivate and fly away.

Currently, CJSC "House of Unions" rents out the halls of the House of Unions for various events, congresses and conferences. They celebrate the anniversaries of figures in science, literature and art. Music concerts are held in the Hall of Columns.

Hall of Columns

The branch of the Russian Musical Society laid the foundation for symphony concerts in the Hall of Columns; the organizer and conductor was N. G. Rubinstein.

Since New Year’s celebrations were allowed in 1935, a children’s “New Year Tree” has been held in the House of Unions. It was here that Snegurochka appeared for the first time together with Father Frost and was declared his granddaughter. Major competitions in chess and checkers took place (and are still taking place) in the Hall of Columns, in particular, several matches for the World Chess Championship were held here, from the match tournament in 1948 to the longest interrupted Karpov-Kasparov match in history (1984 -1985) .

The Columned Hall of the House of Unions often served as a venue for pop concerts; in particular, until the mid-80s, concerts for Soviet Police Day were held there, which were watched by the whole country. It hosted creative evenings of composers, poets, and pop artists. Artists such as Lyudmila Zykina, Klavdia Shulzhenko, Leonid Utesov, Joseph Kobzon, Lev Leshchenko, Valentina Tolkunova, Eduard Khil, Lyudmila Senchina, Sofia Rotaru, Edita Piekha, Muslim Magomaev, Arkady Raikin, Gennady Khazanov, Viktor Chistyakov and a lot others. Due to the acoustics of the hall, all concerts were performed only live with a live orchestra.

On June 29, 2015, a farewell ceremony for Yevgeny Primakov took place in the Hall of Columns of the House of Unions.

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Notes

Literature

• Krupnova R. E., Rezvin V. A. House of Unions. - M.: Moscow worker, 1981. - 80, p. - (Biography of a Moscow house). - 50,000 copies.(region)
• Makarevich G. V., Altshuller B. L., Baldin V. I. et al. White City // Architectural Monuments of Moscow. - M.: Art, 1989. - P. 143-146. - 380 s. - 50,000 copies.

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An excerpt characterizing the House of Unions

After his meeting in Moscow with Pierre, Prince Andrey left for St. Petersburg on business, as he told his relatives, but, in essence, in order to meet there Prince Anatoly Kuragin, whom he considered necessary to meet. Kuragin, whom he inquired about when he arrived in St. Petersburg, was no longer there. Pierre let his brother-in-law know that Prince Andrei was coming to pick him up. Anatol Kuragin immediately received an appointment from the Minister of War and left for the Moldavian Army. At the same time, in St. Petersburg, Prince Andrei met Kutuzov, his former general, always disposed towards him, and Kutuzov invited him to go with him to the Moldavian Army, where the old general was appointed commander-in-chief. Prince Andrei, having received the appointment to be at the headquarters of the main apartment, left for Turkey.
Prince Andrei considered it inconvenient to write to Kuragin and summon him. Without giving a new reason for the duel, Prince Andrei considered the challenge on his part to be compromising Countess Rostov, and therefore he sought a personal meeting with Kuragin, in which he intended to find a new reason for the duel. But in the Turkish army he also failed to meet Kuragin, who soon after the arrival of Prince Andrei in the Turkish army returned to Russia. In a new country and in new living conditions, life became easier for Prince Andrei. After the betrayal of his bride, which struck him the more diligently the more diligently he hid the effect it had on him from everyone, the living conditions in which he was happy were difficult for him, and even more difficult were the freedom and independence that he had so valued before. Not only did he not think those previous thoughts that first came to him while looking at the sky on the Field of Austerlitz, which he loved to develop with Pierre and which filled his solitude in Bogucharovo, and then in Switzerland and Rome; but he was even afraid to remember these thoughts, which revealed endless and bright horizons. He was now interested only in the most immediate, practical interests, unrelated to his previous ones, which he grabbed with the greater greed, the more closed from him the previous ones were. It was as if that endless receding vault of the sky that had previously stood above him suddenly turned into a low, definite, oppressive vault, in which everything was clear, but there was nothing eternal and mysterious.
Of the activities presented to him, military service was the simplest and most familiar to him. Holding the position of general on duty at Kutuzov's headquarters, he persistently and diligently went about his business, surprising Kutuzov with his willingness to work and accuracy. Not finding Kuragin in Turkey, Prince Andrei did not consider it necessary to jump after him again to Russia; but for all that, he knew that, no matter how much time passed, he could not, having met Kuragin, despite all the contempt that he had for him, despite all the proofs that he made to himself that he should not humiliate himself to the point of confrontation with him, he knew that, having met him, he could not help but call him, just as a hungry man could not help but rush to food. And this consciousness that the insult had not yet been taken out, that the anger had not been poured out, but lay in the heart, poisoned the artificial calm that Prince Andrei had arranged for himself in Turkey in the form of preoccupied, busy and somewhat ambitious and vain activities.
In 12, when news of the war with Napoleon reached Bukarest (where Kutuzov lived for two months, spending days and nights with his Wallachian), Prince Andrei asked Kutuzov to transfer to the Western Army. Kutuzov, who was already tired of Bolkonsky with his activities, which served as a reproach for his idleness, Kutuzov very willingly let him go and gave him an assignment to Barclay de Tolly.
Before going to the army, which was in the Drissa camp in May, Prince Andrei stopped at Bald Mountains, which were on his very road, located three miles from the Smolensk highway. The last three years and the life of Prince Andrei there were so many upheavals, he changed his mind, experienced so much, re-saw (he traveled both west and east), that he was strangely and unexpectedly struck when entering Bald Mountains - everything was exactly the same, down to the smallest detail - exactly the same course of life. As if he were entering an enchanted, sleeping castle, he drove into the alley and into the stone gates of the Lysogorsk house. The same sedateness, the same cleanliness, the same silence were in this house, the same furniture, the same walls, the same sounds, the same smell and the same timid faces, only somewhat older. Princess Marya was still the same timid, ugly, aging girl, in fear and eternal moral suffering, living the best years of her life without benefit or joy. Bourienne was the same flirtatious girl, joyfully enjoying every minute of her life and filled with the most joyful hopes for herself, pleased with herself. She only became more confident, as it seemed to Prince Andrei. The teacher Desalles brought from Switzerland was dressed in a frock coat of Russian cut, distorting the language, spoke Russian with the servants, but he was still the same limitedly intelligent, educated, virtuous and pedantic teacher. The old prince changed physically only in that the lack of one tooth became noticeable on the side of his mouth; morally he was still the same as before, only with even greater embitterment and distrust of the reality of what was happening in the world. Only Nikolushka grew up, changed, became flushed, acquired curly dark hair and, without knowing it, laughing and having fun, raised the upper lip of his pretty mouth in the same way as the deceased little princess raised it. He alone did not obey the law of immutability in this enchanted, sleeping castle. But although in appearance everything remained the same, the internal relations of all these persons had changed since Prince Andrei had not seen them. The members of the family were divided into two camps, alien and hostile to each other, which now converged only in his presence, changing their usual way of life for him. To one belonged the old prince, m lle Bourienne and the architect, to the other - Princess Marya, Desalles, Nikolushka and all the nannies and mothers.
During his stay in Bald Mountains, everyone at home dined together, but everyone felt awkward, and Prince Andrei felt that he was a guest for whom they were making an exception, that he was embarrassing everyone with his presence. During lunch on the first day, Prince Andrei, involuntarily feeling this, was silent, and the old prince, noticing the unnaturalness of his state, also fell gloomily silent and now after lunch went to his room. When Prince Andrei came to him in the evening and, trying to stir him up, began to tell him about the campaign of the young Count Kamensky, the old prince unexpectedly began a conversation with him about Princess Marya, condemning her for her superstition, for her dislike for m lle Bourienne, who, according to According to him, there was one truly devoted to him.
The old prince said that if he was sick, it was only because of Princess Marya; that she deliberately torments and irritates him; that she spoils little Prince Nikolai with self-indulgence and stupid speeches. The old prince knew very well that he was torturing his daughter, that her life was very hard, but he also knew that he could not help but torment her and that she deserved it. “Why doesn’t Prince Andrei, who sees this, tell me anything about his sister? - thought the old prince. - What does he think, that I’m a villain or an old fool, I moved away from my daughter for no reason and brought the French woman closer to me? He doesn’t understand, and therefore we need to explain to him, we need him to listen,” thought the old prince. And he began to explain the reasons why he could not stand his daughter’s stupid character.
“If you ask me,” said Prince Andrey, without looking at his father (he condemned his father for the first time in his life), “I didn’t want to talk; but if you ask me, then I will tell you frankly my opinion about all this. If there are misunderstandings and discord between you and Masha, then I can’t blame her at all - I know how much she loves and respects you. If you ask me,” continued Prince Andrei, getting irritated, because he was always ready for irritation lately, “then I can say one thing: if there are misunderstandings, then the reason for them is an insignificant woman, who should not have been her sister’s friend.” .
At first the old man looked at his son with fixed eyes and unnaturally revealed with a smile a new tooth deficiency, which Prince Andrei could not get used to.
-What kind of girlfriend, darling? A? I've already spoken! A?
“Father, I didn’t want to be a judge,” said Prince Andrei in a bilious and harsh tone, “but you called me, and I said and will always say that Princess Marya is not to blame, but it’s the fault... this Frenchwoman is to blame...”

The building acquired by the Noble Society (the house of Prince V.M. Dolgoruky) spreads peacefully along Bolshaya Dmitrovka from Okhotny Ryad almost to Georgievsky Lane.

The Dolgorukovs built their house for family living, and therefore there were no large halls in it. For the needs of the noble society, reconstruction of the building was required. The most famous architect of that time, Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov, was invited to implement the project for rebuilding the building.

M. F. Kazakov (1738-1813). State Institution "Museum Association "Museum of the History of Moscow".

This was not the first time that M. F. Kazakov was involved in the reconstruction of old buildings, and therefore the design of a new house for the Noble Assembly of the Moscow nobility was completed quite quickly. The house was built in the then popular style of classicism - an artistic movement widespread in Russia in the 18th - early 19th centuries, which turned to ancient Greek art as an ideal image.

Later, the building of the Noble Assembly was rebuilt more than once. Now it occupies the entire width of the block from Okhotny Ryad to Georgievsky Lane. However, the greatest architectural value is precisely that part of it that was created between 1784 and 1788. under the leadership of M.F. Kazakov.

Facade and plan of the building of the Noble Assembly from the First Album of M. F. Kazakov. Drawing for the 18th century. Monuments of Russian architecture. Measurements and research. M., 1954. Table. 2.

The low two-story building was stretched along Bolshaya Dmitrovka. On this side, Kazakov developed a solemn façade with a raised six-column Ionic portico in the center and pilaster Tuscan porticos on the sides. Strict symmetry and clear rhythm, emphasized by vertical niches around the windows characteristic of early classicism, organized the extended facade, making it slender and proportional to the end facade overlooking Okhotny Ryad, on which Kazakov placed only a ceremonial entrance with an arched entrance framed by two pairs of columns. And on the site of the former courtyard, the Great Hall was built (which also bore the names White and Bolshoi Column, and in Soviet times was renamed Column). From the main entrance in Okhotny Ryad, a wide three-flight (later converted into a two-flight) white marble staircase led to the front enfilade, the halls, living rooms and offices of which surrounded the Great Hall. It was so huge that it could accommodate more than two thousand people. The great hall was taller than the previous building, and its volume towered over the entire building.

Left: Plans of the 2nd floor of the Noble Assembly building. Above is a signed drawing by M. F. Kazakov; in the middle - a drawing from the First Album of M. F. Kazakov; Below are measurement drawings of the gallery floor. Monuments of Russian architecture. Table 3.On right: One of the earliest (1802) surviving plans of the property is the “Geometric Plan” of the House of the Noble Assembly at No. 145, 2nd quarter of the Tver part. TsANTDM.F. 1. Op. 15. D. 359. Unit. hr. 3. L. 1.

The architecture of the hall is so remarkable that it is perceived as an independent work, becoming synonymous with the house in which it is located. The majestic Corinthian columns surrounding the Great Hall, which became the main decoration and give it splendor and splendor, carry a powerful entablature, behind which were hidden semicircular windows of the second light. Thanks to this, the ceiling with a picturesque lampshade seems to float in the air.

Special mention should be made of the excellent acoustic properties of the Great Hall. It was these, along with its architectural merits, that ensured its popularity. The Great Hall was recognized as one of the best in Russia acoustically: both the orchestra and the soloist’s voice sound soft and at the same time distinct.

The grandeur and splendor of the Great Hall was understood best by its creator, Matvey Kazakov. To remove or at least soften the feeling of sharp contrast between the Great Hall and the living rooms surrounding it, the architect singled out two more small halls nearby - Catherine and Cross, making them seem transitional both in the solemnity of the decor and in size. The Catherine (now Opalny) Hall adjoins the Bolshoi from the Okhotny Ryad side. The modern name of the hall is born from the peculiar arrangement of columns - in a semicircle along two opposite short walls. The cross hall was decorated more modestly - only with pilasters.

Other ceremonial halls of the Assembly also received their own names: Alexandrovsky - in honor of Emperor Alexander I, Golitsynsky - in honor of one of the founders of the Moscow Noble Assembly, Kazakovsky - after the architect who rebuilt the building, Soimonovsky - in honor of the main trustee of the Board of Trustees, who led the reconstruction of the house.

A. F. Malinovsky, describing the Noble Assembly, gives picturesque characteristics of the premises of the House of the Noble Assembly: “In addition to the semi-circular gallery in which the monument to Catherine II is erected, the adjacent two halls are occupied by card tables, behind them there is a dining room and a restroom for the ladies; There is also a room for reading newspapers. One side - the choir above the colonnade in the hall - is occupied by an orchestra, and on the other sides there are people of different ranks who do not have the right to be recorded in the Assembly, and from there they look at the dances and the splendor of the assembly of Russian nobles.

During the French invasion of 1812, a huge fire raged in Moscow, destroying 6.5 thousand houses and churches (or two-thirds of the total). The building of the Noble Assembly was also damaged in this fire. The fire destroyed all the books containing daily journal entries, accounts, plans and other original acts of the Assembly. Everything that was hidden in the pantry: furniture, table linen, china, and other household items was subjected to “brazen plunder by the villains.”

We see a depressing picture of a once magnificent palace reduced to ruins. Small traders were allowed into the dilapidated building out of despair. Trade in the aforementioned shops, the premises for which were rented out, was the only source of income for the Noble Assembly in the post-war period.

As soon as the French invaders were expelled from Moscow, the elders became concerned with the restoration of the House of the Noble Assembly.

List of persons who donated funds for the restoration of the House of the Noble Assembly, indicating the amount of the donation. The first on the list is Emperor Alexander I. CIAM. F. 381. Op. 1.D. 18. L. 2.

After the fire of 1812, the building was restored by architect A. N. Bakarev in 1814, but the decorative decoration of the Hall of Columns and its picturesque ceiling were lost forever. Probably during the restoration work a balcony was built around the entire perimeter of the Great Hall.

Columned hall before the construction of the balcony. Perspective and longitudinal section. Reconstruction. Monuments of Russian architecture. pp. 11-12.

This is what the House of the Noble Assembly looked like in the first half of the 19th century, restored after a fire. Colored lithograph from the mid-19th century.

At the beginning of the 20th century. Moscow is gripped by construction fever. The city rapidly began to grow upward and change its usual appearance. Okhotny Ryad also changed. The two-story, squat building with gables began to be perceived as ponderous and outdated, no longer meeting changing tastes. It seemed that the ancient House of the Noble Assembly, with a classic portico in the middle and an entrance topped with an attic with a triangular pediment and a large mortise arch, was looking at what was happening with bewilderment. The Moscow nobility decided to keep up with fashion and rebuild the house. The author of the perestroika project was A.F. Meisner, in the 1900s. was the architect of the Moscow Deputy Noble Assembly. Fulfilling the wishes of the customers, the architect had to raise the house by one floor, building it along the entire perimeter of the buildings connected together and making it equal in height to the volume of the Great Hall. Fulfilling this task entailed a radical change in the facades.

The architect repeated the Cossack composition, applying the basic principles to the internal layout and significantly changing the external appearance of the building. Both facades (along Okhotny Ryad and Bolshaya Dmitrovka) were made more strict and slender than before.

Facade from Bolshaya Dmitrovka. TsANTDM.F. 1. Op. 15. D. 359. Unit. hr. 14. L. 4.

As a result of Meisner's work, the house has changed greatly, but has not lost its classical form; its decor also shows the complete preservation of the classical tradition. The building has a portico with four elegant Corinthian columns, evenly spaced on both sides. In the depths of the portico, on the wall, there is a high relief of ancient scenes. A wide rectangular attic, above which a dome is visible, replaced the previous triangular pediment.

The facade of the House of the Noble Assembly after reconstruction by A.F. Meisner. View from Okhotny Ryad. Postcard from XIX - early XX century

A thorough reconstruction of the house, carried out in 1903-1908, significantly changed the appearance of the building, which has survived to this day.

Modern view of the House of Unions

During the Great Patriotic War, the House of Unions, fortunately, was saved from the destructive bombing of enemy aircraft. However, time and intensive use have left their mark on its physical condition. Many structures were destroyed, especially wooden floors over individual rooms. The foundation sank in places, and many internal communications became unusable. The stucco and plaster were crumbling.

Large-scale overhaul and restoration work on the House of Unions began in 1967. The designers and builders were faced with a difficult task: to restore a wonderful architectural monument of Russian classicism, to compensate for the loss of artistic design, to replace outdated structures so that the valuable qualities of the premises, primarily the Hall of Columns, were not damaged.

The restoration work of 1967 was continued 10 years later. Work was carried out to restore cornices, chandeliers, doors and artistic decoration of premises, to strengthen foundations, install ventilation systems, air conditioning, automation, communications and simultaneous translation of speeches.

Currently, the building of the House of Unions is one of the main decorations of the architectural and historical “necklace” of the Moscow Center and is a true national treasure of Russia.

Based on materials from the publication "House of Unions. History and Modernity" Moscow 2008

In the 1784-1790s M.F. Kazakov expanded the building and changed its layout. This is how the Hall of Columns appeared in place of the courtyard. Noble meetings, receptions of distinguished guests, balls and masquerades took place here, the fame of which reached St. Petersburg. The Hall of Columns was also the largest brides' fair in Russia.

The Noble Assembly had its own library. Performances were also staged here. In one of them, young Lermontov played an astrologer.

But the building of the Noble Assembly repeated the fate of many Moscow houses: in 1812 it burned down, for the sake of profit, the building was covered with unsightly shops, and over time it lost its original features.

The Columned Hall of the Noble Assembly was huge: it could accommodate more than 500 couples, had a height of 14.5 meters and excellent acoustics. The flat wooden ceiling acted as a soundboard, reflecting and amplifying sound at the level of the best opera houses in the world. At the same time, during construction, Kazakov did not use any special physical devices. It is not surprising that the house of the Noble Assembly turned into a real philharmonic society, and European celebrities sought to perform in the Hall of Columns. In Europe then they said that there was no better hall.

And on March 4, 1856, Emperor Alexander II delivered a historic speech in the Hall of Columns about the need to free the peasants from serfdom.

The assembly of the nobility in our time was completely noble, because the elders vigilantly watched to ensure that there was no admixture, and the members who brought visitors with them had to not only guarantee that those brought were definitely nobles, but also answer that they would not nothing reprehensible, and this is under the fear of being blacklisted and thereby forever losing the right to attend the meeting. The merchants with their wives and daughters, and then only honorable ones, were allowed as an exception as spectators on some solemn days or during royal visits, but did not mix with the nobility: stand behind the columns and look from afar.

In 1903-1908, the House of Unions was built with a third floor and the facade was slightly changed according to the design of the architect A.F. Meissner. The main decoration of the Hall of Columns were 28 columns (9.8 meters in height). Hence the name.

After the October Revolution, the building was handed over to the trade unions. Since 1935, children's “New Year trees” began to be held in the House of Unions. And the working library-reading room named after Gorky replaced the noble library.

On January 23-27, 1924, a farewell to V.I. was held in the Column Hall of the House of Unions. Lenin. After this, the Hall of Columns often served as a place for people to bid farewell to deceased Soviet statesmen. It also hosted show trials, congresses of Soviets and trade unions, reporting party conferences of Moscow city and regional organizations of the CPSU, unions of writers and composers, music concerts and sports competitions.

100 Great Sights of Moscow Myasnikov Sr. Alexander Leonidovich

House of the Noble Assembly (House of Unions)

Today it is difficult to imagine that in this austere building, built in the style of mature classicism, the most fun balls in the capital were held. And the most popular. Every Tuesday, as was the custom almost from the very beginning, here, in the very center of the Mother See, the best orchestras played and the best Moscow couples danced. Up to three thousand people came to the traditional winter and spring balls! And its Hall of Columns accommodated everyone!

The history of this building began in the middle of the 18th century. It was built for the Moscow commander-in-chief Vasily Mikhailovich Dolgorukov-Krymsky. The house was then purchased by the Noble Assembly.

Building of the Noble Assembly (House of Unions)

The Moscow Noble Assembly, a noble class institution, was opened in Moscow in 1783 on the initiative of the trustee of the Board of Trustees, Mikhail Fedorovich Soimonov, and Prince Alexei Borisovich Golitsyn. The noble meeting became a kind of alternative to the English Club. In essence, it was a domestic version of the club, but with more liberal membership rules.

Members of the Noble Assembly could be hereditary nobles, both men and women. The Noble Assembly was headed by 12 elected elders. Members of the Noble Assembly paid annual dues.

In 1784, the Noble Assembly acquired the house of the former Moscow Governor-General on the corner of Bolshaya Dmitrovka and Okhotny Ryad. Architect Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov was invited to reconstruct the building.

The main difficulty for the architect was to develop a completely new image of a public building. After all, here, unlike other buildings that Matvey Fedorovich erected, the house was rebuilt from an old building. Externally, the house differed little from the large urban estates with which Moscow was decorated in those years.

Kazakov oriented the main facade of the building along Bolshaya Dmitrovka, highlighting its center with a solemn elevated six-column Ionic portico. The corners were emphasized by smaller porticoes with pilasters. They gave the entire composition strict symmetry, proportional and rhythmic consistency. From the Okhotny Ryad side, the building at its end had only a front entrance, decorated with an arch on double columns.

But Kazakov decided to pay the main attention to the interior. He united all the estate buildings into one monumental building and built a majestic Hall of Columns in its center, on the territory of the former inner courtyard. It is not for nothing that the Columned Hall of the Noble Assembly is called Kazakov’s masterpiece.

Slender white columns of the Corinthian order are placed along the walls of the rectangular hall. The Corinthian colonnade has a strict, plastic and elegantly crafted entablature, above which there were second-light windows. Thanks to these windows, the gigantic vaulted ceiling with a picturesque ceiling seemed to float in the air.

Large proportions of the order, calm forms of columns, clear outlines of all parts create a feeling of solemnity. This solemnity is further emphasized by the polished surface of white artificial marble, wall mirrors, and beautiful crystal chandeliers. This hall of simple and noble architecture was destined to become the center of life for the citizens of the “noble Republic”.

The Columned Hall quickly gained fame as one of the most solemn classicist ceremonial halls in Moscow. The dimensions of the hall - 24.8 meters by 39.5 meters - allowed 500 or more couples to dance. The ceiling height (14.5 meters) exceeds that of a modern four-story residential building. All these architectural advantages were complemented by excellent acoustics. The flat wooden ceiling acted as a soundboard, reflecting and amplifying sound.

Thanks to such acoustics, European celebrities, singers and musicians, coming to Moscow, sought to perform not only in serf theaters and living rooms of noble nobles, but also in a hall that had never been seen before.

Members of the Noble Assembly “freely came to enjoy the amenities of the hostel” in their house on Dmitrovka from October to April. Then in Moscow, in the Hall of Columns, breathtaking balls took place, the fame of which reached St. Petersburg. Catherine II ordered that the house, purchased in the name of the elder of the Noble Assembly, Prince Golitsyn, be considered the private property of the Moscow nobility. Thus, a precedent was created when a public organization was recognized as a legal entity.

And the grandson of Catherine II, Emperor Alexander I, signed up as a member of the Moscow Noble Assembly and ordered to call it Russian. Nobles from estates all over Russia came to Moscow, already to the Russian Noble Assembly, to socialize and have fun.

In the 1800s, a three-story building with a corner rotunda was added to the building from Georgievsky Lane.

The House of the Noble Assembly was severely destroyed by fire in 1812. Two years later, in 1814, the building was restored by the student of Matvey Fedorovich Kazakov, the architect Alexei Nikitich Bakarev.

Traditional balls and evenings have resumed in the building of the Noble Assembly. In it, Moscow nobles received Russian emperors who came to the city. According to the charter of 1849, members of the Noble Assembly could invite “guests”. Those elevated to the nobility from other classes, honorary citizens, merchants of the first guild, foreign merchants and representatives of the “liberal professions” could see the Hall of Columns, striking in its “simplicity and grandeur.”

Many outstanding cultural and artistic figures, composers and performers, writers and artists climbed the wide three-flight staircase, which led to the front enfilade, with halls, offices and living rooms surrounding the Hall of Columns.

But life in the house was not limited to fun. Elections of leaders of the nobility and other officials took place there. Meetings of the Moscow provincial Assembly of Nobles were held in the building of the Noble Assembly. Because of these meetings, the building was sometimes called the House of the Noble Assembly.

Balls and masquerades gave way to regular classical music concerts. The house became the first Moscow Philharmonic.

In the second half of the 19th century, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov, Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov, Franz Liszt and others performed concerts in the Hall of Columns of the Noble Assembly.

The rich library of the Noble Assembly was very famous.

In 1903, the architect Alexander Felitsianovich Meisner added a third floor and installed skylight windows in the Hall of Columns.

After the October coup, the Noble Assembly was liquidated, and its building was transferred to the trade unions and was named the House of Unions.

Since January 1924, after the funeral of V.I. Ulyanov (Lenin), a tradition was established of converting the Hall of Columns into a mourning hall for mass farewell to deceased government and party leaders.

Since the house became owned by the trade unions, celebrity performances have regularly taken place here. By government decision, they were broadcast on All-Union Radio. Later, Central Television received this right. In essence, the House of Unions served the city of Moscow, the people who filled the suite of luxurious halls in the evenings. I would like to hope that it will continue to be filled out in the future.