Architect's family battle developers to save landmark From Jeremy Page in Moscow
A FEW hours after Viktor Melnikov, the son of the Soviet Union’s most famous avant-garde architect, breathed his last, lawyers turned up to seize his house. For three decades, he had lived in the iconic piece of Constructivist architecture — built by his father, Konstantin, in 1929 — to safeguard it from bureaucrats and developers. But now the future of one of the few private homes built in the Soviet era hangs in the balance after Melnikov’s death from prostate cancer on Sunday at the age of 91. “My father’s body was still warm when they came to try and take the house,” Yekaterina, his eldest daughter, told The Times. “I was shocked.” Melnikov left the building, which is in dire need of restoration, to the State in his will on the condition that it be turned into a museum honouring his father. However, Melnikov’s youngest daughter, Yelena, disputes his ownership of the building and appears determined to take control of it. cont'd... http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13509-2027836,00.html _______________________________________________ in-enaction mailing list http://mail.architexturez.net/mailman/listinfo/in-enaction + Architexturez collaborative at http://portal.architexturez.org/
