The renovation of the old-time Katerynoslav cloth factory, the nationally significant architectural monument, started in January 2019 in Dnipro city. It is planned to renovate the whole quarter in this part of Dnipro city, to build new shopping centre, and to give a new look to the neighboring streets. And the conservation of the mediating old-time architectural monument is a tribute to history and heritage for the succeeding generations. Vadym Iermolaiev, one of the most famous businessmen of the country, became the investor of this project. And today we are pleased to inform that the first stage of creation of new environment for city people is completed, and the works in the reconstruction of Katerynoslav cloth factory came to a close. Katerynoslav cloth factory: what does history know?
This building is one of the oldest in Dnipro city; the first reference to it can be found in the “Plan of Katerynoslav city with newly created buildings for the factories” as early as before XVIII century.
Katerynoslav cloth factory has been used as the food storage for army, the hospital, the orphanage and the pathologicoanatomic museum within the long period of its existing. However, the most of city people remember this building as the former bread-baking plant. (The factory was used as the bread-baking plant within the longest period between 1926 and 2000). The building was in disrepair after factory closing for years. However, today it can be said already about the new start of the building due to the investors and the great team of professionals.
Regardless of the fact that Katerynolav cloth factory underwent the substantial remodeling within two centuries of its existence, the general composition of the main and lateral faces were preserved, and the conservation and highlighting of each historical outline was one of the central tasks. It is no coincidence that the choice of the investors turned to the building of the former factory due to the fact that this is the first classic production facility in Katerynoslav. Relation between history and modernity: what the improved quarter in
Dnipro city will look like
The restoration process occurred as a part of renovation of the whole quarter limited by Yavornytskyi avenue, Paster and Pryvokzalna street, and Staromostova square. It is planned to the construct the new shopping and leisure center on the waste land behind Katerynoslav cloth factory, and this center will link the intense pedestrian flows, and the renovated facility by itself will be used as the commercial building. Moreover, the street dividing Katerynoslav cloth factory and a new shopping and leisure center will resemble the outline of well-known Katerynoslavskyi Boulevard.
The investor Vadym Iermolaiev informed that the architectural monument and the new shopping and leisure center will be also linked with the “light filaments”, the media lines which will create the light images. They will differ at various time of day: they will be more dynamic in the morning, and they will be tender in the evening. This architectural solution will be symbolic, and this will mean the relationship between history and modern times. It is promised that this technology will be implemented for the first time ever in Ukraine. The special illumination will be used in order to emphasize the architectural monument and its respectable image, and to hammer out all the historical details. The individual elements, for example, the window apertures will be illuminated rather than the whole building. The lighting fixtures will be located so as to show the face unevenness. This will testify to the fact that the building actually dates to the period of 19th century, and this is not just the “simulation of the historic building”. The colonnade will be illuminated against the light in order to show the columns outlines.
Global trend of the cultural heritage preservation
There is rather serious concern about preservation of the cultural heritage all over the world, and Dnipro city is no exception. The classicism concept is not represented very extensively in the city, and there are few cultural sites of this sort. For example, this is hospital named after I.I. Mechnikov, Katerynoslav Cloth Factory, and Potemkin Palace. There are no more such noble architectural objects in the city. It should be emphasized that the members of the “Alef” corporation are used to deal with the restoration of the important architectural objects of the city. So, the company follows the global trend. The buildings of the former factories, water towers, gas receivers or warehouses are turned successfully into the hotels, exhibition museums, or even the whole residential complexes in Norway, Germany, in the USA, Denmark, Austria, Australia, and Hungary. Therefore, once-noble and operating buildings, being the preserved historical monuments today, get the second chance to modern life.
Reference. “Alef” corporation incorporates cross-sectional businesses operating in the sector of development, manufacturing of construction materials and the agrarian field. Vadym Iermolaiev is a chairman of “Alef” corporation council. Stanislav Vilenskyi is a deputy chairman of the corporation council. The activity oriented to constant improvement of the processes and implementation of the innovations is a strategy of “Alef” business members.