Behind the Fence: Demolition at Irkutsk Monument Site

Demolition has begun on the site of a historical building in Irkutsk. Our team investigated whether the protected monument itself is at risk.

Feb 7, 2026

Demolition crews are removing non-historical annexes from a protected architectural monument in Irkutsk.
Source:
Alina Rinchino / IRCITY.RU

The historic building on Karl Marx Street was fenced off back in spring 2025. Recently, demolition of structures on the site began. The editorial board of IrCity investigated whether this could pose any threat to the architectural monument.

This concerns the building at 45A Karl Marx Street. It is an architectural monument and is listed in the unified state register. Moreover, by law, the demolition of such buildings is prohibited, as emphasized to the IrCity portal by the Irkutsk Region Cultural Heritage Protection Service.

Also registered with the department is a building that is part of the «Karl Marx Street Development» object, but was constructed in the late 19th – early 20th century. In Soviet times, an annex was added to it, which housed a civil registry office (ZAGS). This annex «has no historical or cultural value and is not part of the cultural heritage object,» the service clarified.

«The demolition of later, emergency structures attached during Soviet times, including where the ZAGS was located, is being carried out to continue work on preserving the cultural heritage object – strengthening the structures of the historical part of the building,» the department emphasized.

Recall that the client for the work is companies associated with former Legislative Assembly deputy Nina Chekotova. She also owns the building of the former Pioner cinema, located nearby. It was closed for repairs in 2003, and has not reopened since (although this was planned for 2019).

The contractor is the company «Vector Restoration». The same firm demolished another historical building a year ago – the house of the famous early 20th-century restaurateur Ivan Abramovich Ishayev (previously, the building belonged to a music school, but due to its emergency condition, it was taken out of use).

In 2024, «Vector Restoration» won an auction for the major repair of several cultural heritage objects in Irkutsk – house No. 62 on Dzerzhinsky Street (listed in the cultural heritage register as «Levenson Estate»), No. 29 on Marat Street («The house where the leader of the partisan movement, writer P.P. Petrov, lived»), and No. 11 on Surikov Street (Popov Mansion, where the newspaper «Eastern Review» was published).