Alexander Stepanovich Kaminsky (1829–1897, , sometimes spelled Kamensky, Каменский) was a

Russian Russian(s) may refer to: *Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries *A citizen of Russia *Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages *''The Russians'', a b ...

architect working in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

and suburbs. One of the most successful and prolific architects of the 1860s–1880s, Kaminsky was a faithful eclecticist, equally skilled in

Russian Revival The Russian Revival style comprises a number of different movements within Russian architecture that arose in the second quarter of the 19th century and was an eclectic melding of Byzantine elements ( Neo-Byzantine architecture in the Russian E ...

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

and

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

architecture. He is best remembered for the extant

Tretyakovsky Proyezd Tretyakovsky Proyezd or Tretyakov Drive () is a short street with boutiques and shops with many luxury goods located in Kitai-gorod in Moscow; it is known as one of the most expensive shopping areas in the world. The mediaeval-looking archway ...

shopping arcade and the cathedral of Nikolo-Ugresh monastery in present-day town of Dzerzhinsky.

Biography

Kaminsky was born in a noble family in

Kiev Governorate Kiev Governorate was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire (1796–1917), Ukrainian People's Republic (1917–18; 1918–1921), Ukrainian State (1918), and the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic (1919–19 ...

. In 1848–1857 he studied architecture under

Konstantin Thon Konstantin Andreyevich Thon or Ton (; October 26, 1794 – January 25, 1881) was a Russian architect who was one of the most notable architects during the reign Nicholas I. His major works include the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, the Grand ...

at the

Imperial Academy of Arts The Imperial Academy of Arts, informally known as the Saint Petersburg Academy of Arts, was an art academy in Saint Petersburg, founded in 1757 by Ivan Shuvalov, the founder of the Imperial Moscow University, under the name ''Academy of th ...

Saint Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the List of cities and towns in Russia by population, second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the Neva, River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland ...

; meanwhile Alexander's brother, Joseph Kaminsky, was a construction manager for Thon's

Cathedral of Christ the Saviour The Cathedral of Christ the Saviour (, ) is a Russian Orthodox Church, Russian Orthodox cathedral in Moscow, Russia, on the northern bank of the Moskva River, a few hundred metres southwest of the Kremlin. With an overall height of , it is the ...

. Alexander served as a liaison between Petersburg-based Thon and Moscow crews, acquiring his first practical experience. In 1857, Kaminsky won a state-paid postgraduate tour of Europe, and travelled extensively until 1861. In

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, he met

Pavel Tretyakov Pavel Mikhaylovich Tretyakov (; 27 December 1832 – 16 December 1898) was a Russian businessman, patron of art, collector, and philanthropist who gave his name to the Tretyakov Gallery and Tretyakov Drive in Moscow. His brother Sergei Tre ...

, a young member of an influential Muscovite business family and an art collector. Back in Moscow, friendship with Tretyakovs resulted in his first independent commissions. Next year, Alexander married Sophia, sister of Pavel Tretyakov; he remained Tretyakov's house architect until the end of his career. Since 1867, Kaminsky was also a house architect for Moscow Merchant Society, an ambitious real estate consortium that redeveloped territories of

Kitai-Gorod Kitay-gorod (, ), also referred to as the Great Possad () in the 16th and 17th centuries, is a cultural and historical area within the central part of Moscow in Russia, defined by the remnants of now almost entirely razed fortifications, narro ...

Neglinnaya Street Neglinnaya Street (Russian: Неглинная улица) is a street inside the Garden Ring of Moscow, Russia. It runs from the Bolshoi Theatre to the Trubnaya Square. The street was paved over the underground Neglinnaya River The Neglinna ...

. His best known jobs for the Merchant Society were its own Neglinnaya Street offices and rebuilding the Exchange Building in

Ilyinka Street Ilyinka () is the name of several types of inhabited localities in Russia, inhabited localities in Russia. Modern localities Altai Krai As of 2012, two rural localities in Altai Krai bear this name: *Ilyinka, Shelabolikhinsky District, Altai Krai ...

. Rebuilding of historical buildings became a common work for Kaminsky, but he also built traditional, spacious town estates (Chetverikov Estate in Kolpachny Lane, Karatayeva-Morozova Estate in Leontyevsky Lane, etc.) and public buildings. Kaminsky was a true and accomplished eclecticist, never leaning to a particular style. Like Thon, he picked styling depending on the building functions and the client's budget. For about thirty years, Kaminsky was teaching at the

Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture The Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture (), also known by the acronym MUZHVZ, was one of the largest educational institutions in Russia. The school was formed by the 1865 merger of a private art college, established in Moscow ...

and training its graduates within his firm (his alumni include

Fyodor Schechtel Fyodor Osipovich Schechtel (; – July 7, 1926) was a Russian architect, graphic artist and stage designer, the most influential and prolific master of Russian Art Nouveau and late Russian Revival architecture. Baptised as Franz Albert Schech ...

Ivan Mashkov Ivan Pavlovich Mashkov (, 13 January 1867 – 13 August 1945) was a Russian architect and preservationist, known for surveying and restoring buildings such as the Dormition Cathedral, Moscow, Dormition Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, Novodevichy ...

Ilya Bondarenko Ilya Yevgrafovich Bondarenko (; 1867–1947) was a Russian-Soviet Union, Soviet architect, historian and preservationist, notable for developing a particular style of Old Believers architecture in 1905-1917, blending Northern Russian revival wit ...

, Max Hoeppener). Architect's career was cut short in 1888 when a

Kuznetsky Most Kuznetsky Most ( rus, Кузне́цкий Мост, p=kʊˈzʲnʲet͡skʲɪj ˈmost) is a street in central Moscow, that runs from Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street to Lubyanka Street. The name, literally ''Blacksmith's Bridge'', refers to the 18th-c ...

building, erected by his firm, collapsed. Kaminsky was found guilty of criminal negligence and sentenced to six weeks of arrest. Professional agony dragged for another five years. Saving his reputation, Kaminsky founded and edited a magazine (, 1890–1892), promoting his own works; he ultimately failed to return into the business, lost the job with Merchant Society in 1893 and died in 1897. His last work, a church in

Sarov Sarov () is a closed city, closed town in Nizhny Novgorod Oblast, Russia. It was known as Gorkiy-130 (Горький-130) and Arzamas-16 (), after a (somewhat) nearby town of Arzamas,SarovLabsCreation of Nuclear Center Arzamas-16/ref> from 194 ...

, was completed in 1903.

Selected works

Extant: Image:Moscow, Nikolo-Ugreshsky Cathedral, A.S.Kaminsky, 1890.jpg, Nikolo-Ugresh Cathedral Image:Moscow, Iliynka Street Exchange by A.S.Kaminsky, 1876.jpg, Exchange in

Kitai-gorod Kitay-gorod (, ), also referred to as the Great Possad () in the 16th and 17th centuries, is a cultural and historical area within the central part of Moscow in Russia, defined by the remnants of now almost entirely razed fortifications, narro ...

Image:Moscow, Gogolevsky 6, A.S.Kaminsky, 1880s.jpg, Tretyakov's house,

Gogol Boulevard Gogolevsky Boulevard () is a boulevard near the Arbat District, Moscow, Russia, named after the writer Nikolai Gogol. It was named Prechistensky Boulevard () until 1924, after the nearby street Prechistenka. The boulevard begins next to the Cat ...

Image:Moscow, Bolshaya Ordynka 47.jpg, College,

Bolshaya Ordynka Street Bolshaya Ordynka is a historical street in Central Administrative Okrug of Moscow, Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, l ...

Destroyed: Image:Pushkino, Mamonov Dacha, A.S.Kaminsky, 1891.jpg, Mamonov house Image:Moscow, Royal Pavillion, A.S.Kaminsky, Facade, 1890.jpg, Royal pavilion, Moscow Image:Moscow, Royal Pavillion, A.S.Kaminsky, 1890.jpg, Royal pavilion Image:Moscow, Abrikosov Pavillion, Ilya Bondarenko, 1912.jpg, Exhibition pavilion (completed by

) Interiors: Image:Moscow, Royal Pavillion, A.S.Kaminsky, Interiors, 1890.jpg, Royal pavilion, Moscow Image:Moscow, Donskoy Monastery Iconostasis, A.S.Kaminsky.jpg, Iconostasis,

Donskoy monastery Donskoy Monastery () is a major monastery in Moscow, founded in 1591 in commemoration of Moscow's deliverance from the threat of an invasion by the Crimean Khan Kazy-Girey. Commanding a highway to the Crimea, the monastery was intended to def ...

Image:A.S.Kaminsky, Gates for Yelets Cathedral.jpg, Gates of

Yelets Cathedral Yelets or Elets () is a city in Lipetsk Oblast, Russia, situated on the Bystraya Sosna River, which is a tributary of the Don. Population: History Yelets is the oldest center of the Central Black Earth Region. It was mentioned in historica ...

Image:A.S.Kaminsky Furniture, 1890.jpg, Furniture design

References

* , 1890–1892 // Art Journal of Russian Architects and Engineers, 1890–1892, ed. by Alexander Kaminsky and A. A. Netyksa. Reprinted electronically in 2004 by Russian Public Historical library. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kaminsky, Alexander 1829 births Russian people of Ukrainian descent 1897 deaths People from Kiev Governorate 19th-century architects from the Russian Empire Academic staff of the Moscow School of Painting, Sculpture and Architecture Imperial Academy of Arts alumni