Contractor chosen to design new arts school in Chita after demolition

A contractor has been selected to design a new building for Children's Art School No. 1 in Chita, replacing the old structure deemed unsafe and demolished. The project follows the administration's decision to rebuild after the original building was condemned.

Feb 13, 2026

The new school building is planned to be constructed on the same site as the demolished structure.
Source:
Elena Buivol / VLADIVOSTOK1.RU

The City Planning Policy Committee of the Chita Administration has signed a contract for the design of Children«s Art School No. 1 named after N.P. Budashkin to replace the building formerly located at 7 Krupskaya Street. Committee head Alexander Zudilov reported this to a Chita.Ru correspondent on January 26.

A major renovation was planned for the school in 2025, but an inspection revealed the building was in emergency condition and could no longer be used. The administration decided to demolish it.

The committee head reported that the contract for designing the new building was signed with the company Chitagrazhdanproekt. The document has also been published on the public procurement website. The contract amount is 10.5 million rubles (approximately $116,700 at current rates) against an initial price of 12.6 million rubles (approximately $140,000). The work is allotted 150 days from the contract signing date. Zudilov noted that the old building has been demolished and the site is fully prepared for construction. After the design is completed, the administration plans to seek funding sources for the construction itself.

According to the technical specifications, the school will be designed for 100 students and will operate on a full-day basis – children will be able to stay there for 12 hours a day. The plan includes not only the construction of school premises but also outfitting with modern technical equipment.

The complex should also include a technical room for servers, parking space, and a well-maintained area with landscape design.

Separate zones are to be designed with integrated systems for audio, lighting, and multimedia, and the internal infrastructure must be developed to ensure comfortable access for children with limited mobility.

The art school was opened in Chita in 1964. Its first director was Yury Vasilyevich Smorodnikov, a graduate of the Chita Music College in accordion, a teacher, organizer, composer, and Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation. Later directors included Anatoly Alexeyevich Leskov and Mikhail Vyacheslavovich Zaitsev, who later became director of the regional philharmonic.

From 1986 to 2017, the school was led by Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation Nikolai Nikolayevich Ivanov. In his memory, in 2018, a memorial plaque was installed on the school facade in recognition of his great merits in educating the younger generation. The next director was Honored Cultural Worker of the Russian Federation Andrey Anatolyevich Bezlepkin. Currently, the team is headed by Anna Petrovna Doshkova. Instruction at the school covers music, fine arts, choreography, and choral art.

In addition to the building at 7 Krupskaya Street, the school has branches at 47 Yaroslavsky Street and 1 Donskaya Street.

The closed joint-stock company «People»s Enterprise Chitagrazhdanproekt«, according to the Kontur.Fokus service, was registered in Chita in May 2001. The director is Vyacheslav Prokofiev. The company»s main activity is in the field of architecture. In 2024, the company«s revenue amounted to 254.1 million rubles (approximately $2,823,300 at current rates), with a net profit of 7 million rubles (approximately $77,800). Previously, Chitagrazhdanproekt has repeatedly participated in public procurement, including designing the reconstruction of the »Tridevyatoye Tsarstvo« Puppet Theater, kindergartens, schools, etc.