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Igor
Mikhailovich Chaiko

Russia • Saint Petersburg • 1910−1993

Biography and information

Soviet architect, city planner, artist. He was engaged in the design of residential and public buildings.
Born March 29, 1910 in Tsarskoe Selo. His father is also an architect. He studied at the Institute of Civil Engineers, which he graduated in 1930. Participated in the design of residential quarters of the International (now Moscow) Avenue. The main buildings: houses No. 10, 12 and 16 on Sevastyanov Street (1936-1939; together with FZ Mazel), among which a dormitory (No. 16) for workers of the Skorokhod factory stands out. In the pre-war years, he built a school building at the corner of the Griboyedov Canal and Grivtsov Lane. Collaborated with the architect D.P. Buryshkin, participating in the design of one of the buildings on the right bank of the Neva, at the very beginning of Zanevsky Prospect. In the pre-war years, he completed advanced training courses at the Academy of Arts to improve in the field of artistic creativity. During the blockade, he participated in camouflage work, in the construction of false airfields (he was one of the initiators of their construction) and defensive lines. In 1944 I.M.Chaiko, by the decision of the Architectural and Planning Department, was recalled from the engineering department of the Baltic Fleet, where he served, and sent to Leningrad for restoration work. Together with B.N. Zhuravlev carried out the reconstruction and decoration of the interiors of the Military Medical Museum on Zagorodny Prospekt. In 1946-1947, together with the architect B.M. Serebrovsky built a large residential building on Ligovsky Prospect. House number 24 on the Makarov embankment (1953–1955), built for the workers of the plant named after V.I. Kozitsky. In 1955-1956. According to Chaiko's designs, large representative houses were built on Vasilievsky Island. These are residential buildings for the Steel Rolling and Wire Rope Plant, the Baltic Plant, houses No. 15a and 19-21 on Nalichnaya street, house No. 29 on the 10th line. In 1952, together with E.G. Gruzdevoy rebuilt the Forum cinema on the 7th line. Its sculptural design was also performed with the participation of the author. In the early 1950s - the architect was able to return to his pre-war brainchild - quarters in the Moscow region. In 1952-1960 Novoizmailovsky prospect was formed. At its beginning, nine-storey buildings with department stores were built (together with OA Ushakov). Between them are tower houses. Like other Leningrad architects, I.M. Chaiko was involved in typical design a lot. Houses according to his standard designs were built in Moscow and other districts. The 1966-1980s were years of work for the architect on projects for public buildings. His main brainchild is the Sports and Concert Complex in the Moscow District (work began in the 1960s and was completed in 1981, Chaiko was the project manager). For many years I.M. Chaiko headed one of the workshops at the Lenznieep Institute. Igor Mikhailovich lived a rich, excitingly interesting life. With such a load, it would seem that there is no more time for anything. And he painted the city during the blockade and after the war, made lithographs, executed a large cycle of Parisian watercolors, painted portraits. Awards: two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor. He died on April 24, 1993. The ashes of I.M. Chaiko rests at the Novodevichy cemetery in St. Petersburg.