History
| External image | |
|---|---|
| Basmanny market | |
 Baumansky market, 1980 [3] |
Historically in the area of the modern Basmanny district there was a market known as the Nemetskiy market (German market), it was located between Friedrich Engels Street, Ladozhskaya Street and Volkhovskiy Alley. The market ceased to exist after the 1917 revolution. Nonetheless, trading continued in the market buildings until the middle of the 1970s in the form of a collective farm market which operated on weekends. [4]
In 1974, construction began of a two-story market building on Baumansky street under the direction of architect Lev Gilburda. The roof, in the shape of a bowl with a diameter of 90 metres, was designed by the engineer Nodar Vakhtangovich Kancheli, an employee of the "Mosproekt-3" institute. The building was one of the first of a new type of large construction featuring a "hanging dome" supported on the perimeter of the building which were built during the urban renewal of Moscow in the run up to the 1980 Summer Olympics. The roof of the market was Nodar Kancheli's first project and was noted by architects not only in the USSR but in the rest of the world as well; in London it was included in a list of the ten best architectural projects of 1974. [1] [5]
The communal farm market, opened in 1975, was named the Baumansky market after the street it was on. Trade in seasonal products moved there from the former Nemetskiy market. In the 1990s, the market continued to operate as a state unitary enterprise. In 1994, the market was renamed the Basmanny market after the district it was in. In 1997, as part of the 850 year anniversary of Moscow, the market was altered to increase the number of stalls, this included a redevelopment of the mezzanine. The technical committee for the investigation of the causes of the collapse of the Bassmany market stated that the alterations to the mezzanine may have resulted in additional load being placed on the supporting structure. [6] In 2001, the Moscow authorities adopted a resolution on the reconstruction of the Bassmany market, although a schedule for the work was not specified, and in practice, no work was actually carried out. [7]
In 2002, the post of director of Bessmany market was occupied by Mark Mishiev, the founder and owner of the business was the Moscow Property Department. The market provided 258 spaces for merchants, some of which were open 24 hours despite this being illegal. At night, street vendors bought stock from the market and goods were often stored on the mezzanine floor, which was not suitable for the storage of large amounts of stock. [2]
In 2003, the Bassmany market was included in a list of properties subject to mandatory privatisation which was compiled by city authorities, but a year later it was removed from this list. A year later, the Moscow government took the decision to build a commercial and office space with a hotel and underground garage. In 2005, it was again planned to privatise the market, but its physical condition was considered unsatisfactory. [8] [9]
On sale in the Bassmany market at the start of 2006 were food products, consumer goods and building materials. Around 4000 people visited the market every day. [8] At this time the market had not been renovated since it was first constructed, the cables which supported the ceilings were covered in rust and the structures concrete had been deformed by moisture. There was also an illegal hostel operating from the market for the sellers, many of whom were illegal immigrants. The guests of this hostel had altered the interior of the market for their own needs. [5]
