Text 4. The Derzprom

There are buildings that create the impression about the whole city. The House of State Industry (the Derzprom) became the face of the Soviet Kharkiv. It was the first high-altitude ferroconcrete building in the country. The building was erected in 1925 – 1928, being an embodiment of the first steps of Soviet building engineering. It marked the beginning of formation of the new architectonic shape of city.

Having become the capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialistic Republic since 1918 till 1934 Kharkiv became its coordination centre, the leadership residence. It was then when it became necessary to organize the new public center of Kharkiv: large areas for accommodation of technology personnel, design organizations; design bureau were necessary.

The decision to construct the building and to finance it from the Soviet budget was made by Felix Dzherzhynsky. The cost of the buildings construction was 9 million rubles. In 1924 it was decided to start construction of an administrative building. The place for the new public centre was chosen in the Highland part of Kharkiv, in one of its outskirts on the former University’s lands. The further development of city was planned in this very direction.

Under the project of an architect V. Trotsenko, the ground for layout of the centre was a round square, on which contour the office buildings and radial streets of living houses blocks, departing from it were placed.

In May 1925, all-Union competition for the best project of the building of the House of State Industry was announced. In the Derzprom it was supposed to place boards, trusts, banks, central technical library with reading hall and book keeping facilities, two conference halls, restaurant, hotel of 50 rooms, automatic telephone station, post office and telegraph, in the cellars – subsidiary premises, various workshops, boiler-room, ventilation installation, coal warehouse.

The project of Leningrad architects S. Serafimov, M. Delferg, and S. Kravets, carried out in the forms of constructivism, was unanimously recognized to be the best. The architects presented the project of a large structure, which included 9 cases of different heights (from 6 to 13 floors), located radialiy and grouped in three blocks, each having its own center. In the art solution of the fronts and interiors of the Derzprom moulding; painting, sculpture is absent.

The project of Leningrad architects was accepted to construction.

In autumn of 1925, on the site, allocated for the giant house, preparatory works started. The erection of an outstanding structure was headed by a famous engineer and builder P. Rottert.

The first turn of the building was put into operation in 1927. The construction of the Derzprom was completed in 1928.

The House of State Industry became the first building erected on Dzerzhinsky Square (nowadays – Freedom Square). The height of the Derzhprom building is 63 m. With the television tower added in 1955 it was 108 m.

The office area of the Derzhprom building is 60 000 sq.m, the areas of the base is 10760 sq.m.

Initially the building was built by hand using primitive instruments such as shovels, wheelbarrows etc. By the time it was finished the construction techniques employed where mechanised 80%. 5000 workers were involved in its construction working in three shifts.

At the time of its completion it was the largest ‘skyscraper’ in the USSR and the second in Europe. 1315 carriages of cement, 9000 tonnes of metal, 2700 cars of granite and 40000 m² of glass were used.

The interior walls, windows, door handles etc were decorated with an exclusive relief of the letters DHP (ДГП) standing for Derzhprom.

By the recommendation of the Kharkiv department of Hygiene, all of the door handles were made of copper which was thought at that time to have antibacterial characteristics and would kill microbes.

7 of the 12 original elevators still function without being replaced since 1928.

The length of the bridges that unite the 3 sections of the buildings is 26 metres.

The reconstruction and renovation of the Derzhprom building took more time (7 years) than the construction of the building itself. (3 years)

Nowadays there are more than 300 institutions in the Derzprom, among them are the Region Council of the people’s deputies, administration of the President of Ukraine, its departments, coordinating activity of national economy of Kharkiv region, design organizations, trusts, television studio, etc.

1. Find out if the following statements are true (T) or false (F).

1.	Since 1918 till 1934 Kharkiv was the capital of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialistic Republic, its coordination centre, the leadership residence.	( )
2.	The House of State Industry is a large area for accommodation of technology personnel, design organirations, and design bureau.	( )
3.	It was decided to start construction of an administrafiue building in the bedinng of the 20th century.	( )
4.	The place for the Derzprom was chosen near the river Lopan and the buildings of the Kharkiv University.	( )
5.	The Derzprom was built in the form of Constructionism.	( )
6.	The House of State Industry was being built during one year.	( )
7.	Leningrad architects presented the project of a large structure, which included 7 cases of different heights, grouped in three blocks.	( )
8.	It was supposed reading hall and book keeping facilities, institutes and Kharkiv State Univer sity, cafes, restaurant, hotel of 50 rooms, post office, telegraph and so on.	( )
9.	The construction of the Derzprom began in autumn of 1925.	( )
10.	The Derzprom is the face of the Soviet Kharkiv nowadays.	( )