Stroytransgaz Left Its Mark in the History of Samara

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Stroytransgaz has participated in the Tom Sawyer Fest, a festival dedicated to reconstruction of buildings in the historical center of Samara where some pieces of merchant architecture survived. There are many historically valuable buildings of the late XIXth century in the central part of the city, and the idea to reconstruct their appearance and adorn the city under the slogan “Let`s Bring the Colors Back to Samara!” has united the city folk. STG constructing the Frunzenskiy Bridge in Samara has supported the initiative and contributed to the project. The bridge is still under construction, but the company has already left its mark in the history of the Russia’s “capital in reserve”. Renovated buildings in Samara now bear memorial plates with the honored name of Stroytransgaz on them.

In 2015, the natives of Samara restored appearance of three unique buildings; in 2016 the project went further and attracted about 200 people (representatives of the local authorities, enterprises, activists, and celebrities) volunteering in the Tom Sawyer Fest. The festival was supported by several companies, including STG, as well as by the city administration. As a result, the project won the President`s grant, and other cities, including Kazan, have already started following this example of true citizenship.

STG, as a socially responsible company, supported the creative project by assisting in purchase of some materials and assigning its volunteers for the project. Members of the STG Corporate Communications together with the Frunzensky Bridge builders took part in restoration works: staying on scaffolds, they sanded down, cleaned out, polished and painted the walls of old houses, and, according to them, had a unique opportunity to “touch the history” and feel like builders. The volunteers renovated paint on the old houses walls, reveal linings, roofs, and developed the surrounding area. As a result, new appearance was given to four buildings featuring art nouveau design in the wooden architecture of Samara; such buildings are distinguished for lots of decorative elements.

The Tom Sawyer Fest project is a great opportunity for everyone caring for the history of our country and the fortune of Samara to contribute to the city future by preserving the cultural heritage sites as a binding thread with the past. We have been creating for our country for more than a quarter-century, working under the slogan “Making the Future”. “That`s why we certainly could not stand back from such stunning project for improvement of urban environment”, said Vladislav Pototsky, Director of Infrastructure Construction Unit of JSC Stroytransgaz.

Renovated buildings

The building located at 38E Leo Tolstoy Street looks like a fairy-tale tower (terem) with wooden firebird on its spire, that`s why the Samara city folk call it a “house with a firebird”. Wavy profile of the cornice is richly decorated with carving. The house belonged to Boris Pozern, an honorary hereditary citizen, and was recognized as a regionally significant cultural heritage site. Approximate time of construction is estimated between 1905 and 1915.

The building located at 96 Galaktionovskaya Street is already 130 years old. Today there lives Inessa Mikhailovna Negina, a pensioner; her family has owned the house since 1910. One day, Inessa Mikhailovna saw the festival`s volunteers restoring the building across the street, and she came out and started sanding her house down. Certainly, the project organizers could not but help her, and so another house became a part of the Tom Sawyer Fest project history.

The building located at 91 Galaktionovskaya Street formerly belonged to Evgeny Tychinin, a priest of the Trinity Church. The house was a wooden three-window outbuilding on a stone foundation. Later, the priest applied to the province government for permission to add similar premises to the existing ones. In 1869, the house was extended.

The one-storied wooden house located at 32 Leo Tolstoy Street, across from the Philharmonic Hall of Samara, is hidden by a small front garden. The first building on the plot was erected in 1827. It was a wooden cabin (izba) owned by Tikhon Petrishchev, a citizen of Samara. House No. 32, as it is today, was constructed much later, in 1908.