"Red gate" - to the inhabitants of Moscow and guests of the capital is not known is the name of the destroyed in the Soviet time the remarkable monument standing at the intersection Myasnitskaya street and the Garden, a master of Russian architecture of the mid-eighteenth century human Memory retained the name, but few of his contemporaries can remember the name of the Creator of this first in Russia triumphal arch of monumental character. They were the architect D. V. Ukhtomsky.
Dmitry Vasilyevich Ukhtomsky was born in 1719 in the village of Semenovskoe (now the Yaroslavl region). Descended from an ancient princely but impoverished family average service nobility. The boy was sent to study at the Moscow "school of mathematics and navigation" (it was housed in the Sukharev tower).
In 1733, at the age of fourteen, Dmitry Ukhtomsky was sent to apprentice in the architectural team, the chief architect of Moscow Ivan Michurin. He repaired and rebuilt many churches, monasteries and public buildings. In this he was helped by the disciples. Ukhtomsky was specifically identified by the student by the monastery buildings. After eight years of work with Michurin Ukhtomsky was transferred to command of I. K. Korobov, the main work of the latter and his disciples consisted in inspections and repairs of the city of dilapidated buildings.
The first independent work of Ukhtomsky - the project of the Tver gates for the coronation of Elizabeth. Considering the talent, the knowledge, the skill of his young apprentice, Boxes in 1742, introduced the ukhtomskogo the title Gisele (apprentices), did your assistant and transferred all of the case management team during their departures. Two years later, the young assistant was promoted to the rank of "searchfactor" and promoted to captain. In may 1754, for the many merits awarded the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
In 1747 Ukhtomsky remains virtually the sole architect of Moscow (from 1745 to 1752.). Since September 1745 he was made in the Senate architects of the Moscow police, whose responsibilities included the management of all civil and common development of the city, monitoring the observance of special decrees.
To the architectural heritage of ukhtomskogo are rich manor houses of the nobility, public institutions, triumphal arch, Church, bridges, bell towers. A significant portion of projects were not implemented for various reasons during the life of the author. Almost all the buildings Ukhtomsky to the present day is not preserved, still has not found a significant portion of its projects.
After the fires of 1748 and 1752, under the leadership of Ukhtomsky plans were made for regular buildings Pogorelov (this was practiced for the first time) and Ukhtomsky after a long time they were the main planning documents of Moscow.
From 1753 to 1757. project Ukhtomsky was the construction of the Kuznetsk bridge, which was one of the examples of the large ensemble compositions of ser. XVIII century, lasted until the beginning of the XIX century.
Since the early 50-ies of the XVIII century under the leadership of Ukhtomsky was deployed to work in repairing the city walls and towers of the Kremlin, and from 1749 to 1754. he did a lot of work on the construction of the Kremlin Palace for Empress Elizabeth.
Perhaps the only surviving creation of the prominent Russian architect is the belfry of the Trinity Sergius Lavra.
At the same time the Red gate Ukhtomsky in 1753 begins construction of the Senate house in the German settlement. Among the buildings of the architect was: Golovinskiy Palace, galleries for the collection of the Armory, wine warehouses Kamennomostskiy drinking yard, suburban estates (including, perhaps, Kuskovo), and many others, unfortunately, are now extinct.
The merit of this Russian architect and his students must consider the restoration and renovation of monuments that have preserved them from destruction.
It should be noted pedagogical talent Ukhtomsky, which fully manifested itself during the creation and leadership of Russia's first special architectural school, which started its work since October 1749, Her goal was to give students professional skills and systematic theoretical knowledge. Among the pupils of the school were M. F. Kazakov, A. F. Kokorinov, and other outstanding masters.
In 1760 Ukhtomsky was accused of big spending led them to construction sites. Followed by a suspension, started the audit, which lasted 10 years, to establish a complete groundlessness of the charges. But the leadership of the architectural team and the school (ceased to exist in 1764) Ukhtomsky was not returned.
About the last years of his life little is known of the architect. Spending some time after retirement in Moscow in 1767 he moved to his little estate oaks Odoevsky County of the Tula province. Died there. He was buried at the walls of the wooden Church of the Archangel Michael, and the village is often called Arkhangelsk-Dubki. Not preserved churches from the son of the late Dmitry was erected a new stone Church of our lady of Smolensk. The tomb of architect, now lost. Only a few decades ago on the South side of the Church managed to find a headstone of white marble in the form of a sarcophagus with the inscription: "1774 Oct 4 days reposed koleski Advisor architectures Prince Dmitry Vasilyevich Ukhtomsky son" ...
(source: http://tounb.tula.net)
