Building binge commenced in the Soviet Russia in 1955 when the Central Committee of the Communist Party issued a decree “About elimination of unnecessary extravagance in architecture”. The pre-war, Stalin-approved architecture was notable for monumental columns, high-stud ceilings and indispensable stucco mouldings. This was a Soviet version of Empire style (or “Vampire”, coined by contemporaries) and it was about to fade away.
How Khrushchev Had Killed the “Vampire”
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