Meeting a Restorer
 Looking at renewed facades and roofs of the old Petersburg one naturally begins to think whom we are due for all this to. Among the people who did this job is Alexei Stanislavovich Lapin -- founder and General Director of the St. Petersburg restoration and construction company "Lapin Enterprises". I met A. S. Lapin in the Metropolitan building of Alexandro-Nevskaya Lavra on the embankment of the Monastyrka river, where his company is located. My interlocutor is a stout man, 35 years of age, very energetic and self-confident. His hair is made off the front into a plait; his speech is laconic and gives out an emotional and solid man. Lapin is a native of St. Petersburg, of which he is very proud. In his youth Lapin enjoyed mountain climbing what later helped him greatly: to execute high-rise works with a method of industrial Alpinism was his first job in the field of construction. Though life forced him to gradually come down to earth: with restorations of roofs, attics and facades.
Lapin is totally absorbed in what he is doing and seems to be content with the results achieved. His own enterprise Lapin founded seven years ago. Starting from the roofing works, he quickly understood that the main thing to achieve was quality of work, with qualified people and high technologies. In "stagnation years" the roofing works were degrading in Russia, the amount of qualified roofers diminished. Today, apart from the staff workers, the "Lapin Enterprise" information base contain over 200 roofers, some of them have experience of work in European countries. The company has bought special equipment and learned new technologies. It began to give a 10-years guarantee on its roofing works and a 5-years guarantee on the facade works. The most difficult type of works is restoration of the attic's roof because minor deviations from the rules in its original construction are capable to make damage to the look of historical building visible to any passer by. Even small errors in design or execution of works may lead to irreversible damage of the inner finishing. High professionalism and big working experience are necessary for accomplishment of the roofing works. Great works on reconstruction and restoration of the roof were carried out by "Lapin Enterprise" for the Church of Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin and the Naval Institute on the Basil Island; the Alexandrovsky Palace in Pushkin, the Mansion of Ye. P. Kazalet on the Angliyskaya embankment, the Nikolsky hermitage of the Valaam Monastery, the former building of the Embassy of Germany on Isaakievskaya Square. During recent years the company accumulated rich experience of restoration and repair of facades of temples, dwelling houses and industrial buildings. In the buildings having the status of monuments all the work is being done on the basis of architectural-restoration assignments and under a strict control.
Its most tangible results "Lapin Enterprise" has attained in restoration of the Andreevsky Cathedral, of the Church of the Icon of the Mother of God on Shpalernaya and of the Nicolas-Epiphany Marine Cathedral. For the present moment the restoration work is being done of such famous historical monuments as the Mariinsky Palace, the Manege and outbuilding of the First Cadet Military School, the Philharmonic Hall.
Here is several words on what exactly was done by "Lapin Enterprise" on these spots.
 The Nicolas-Epiphany Marine Cathedral (Nikolskaya Square 1/3). Here in 1997-1998 the company performed the restoration repair of the facade and roof of the Cathedral, belfry and administration premises. The Cathedral, belfry and a fence was built in 1753-1762 by the architect S. I. Chevakinsky. The facades done in white and blue are decorated with single, paired three-fourth colons and accomplished by rich antablature.
In the Mariinsky Palace (Isaakievskaya Square, 6), since 1999 to the present day, is held restoration of the finishing of facades and windows. One of the outstanding buildings of our city, the Mariinsky palace was built in 1839-1844 by architect A. I. Shtakenshneider. The central part of the building is distinguished by attic, colons and a wide balcony, which base serves an entrance done as an open arcade. The inner decora of the suite of ceremonial halls is distinguished by its refined luxury.
 The Church of the Icon of the Mother of God (Shpalernaya, 35) was erected in 1817-1818 into the design of architect L. Ruska. In this church in 2001 was done restoration of a facade and the mould panels. Monumental building of a cubic form with a cupola in its central part belongs to the style of High Classicism. Its main facade facing Shpalernaya street is decorated with a solemn portico of the Ionnic order. Above the high arch windows of the side facade looking Chernyshevsky prospect five relief panels on Gospel thematic are located.
 The Cathedral of Apostle Andrei (6th Line of the Basil Island, 11) was erected in 1764-1780 by architect A. F. Vist. At present, after meticulous search and clearings, the restoration of the facade and the mould decor comes to an end, begun in May of 2001. Three-leafed in a plan, the principal volume of the Cathedral is crowned with fives chapters.
Manege and outbuilding of the First Cadet Military School (Universitetskaya embankment, 13) was built in 1756-1759 by I. G. Borkhard and consists of a two-storied outbuilding with its principal facade over the Neva river and a one-storied manege. The central part of the facade is distinguished by a bow-shaped pediment with the emblem of the Cadet Military School.
// Konstantin Plotkin
"St. Petersburg Design and Construction" 3 (17) 2000 (summer)
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