Former Moscow Art Factory Building Listed for Sale

On Baltiyskaya Street near Sokol metro station, the property complex of the Vega concern has been put up for sale. The premises of the enterprise, which is now part of Rostec, are located on the site of a former art school.

Information about the auction appeared on the Electronic Trading Platform portal. The starting price of the building is estimated at 595 million rubles (approximately $6.6 million at current rates). To participate in the auction, bidders must deposit 10% of the initial cost. The price also includes a 0.7-hectare plot and three small buildings.

The Vega concern is engaged in the production of radio-electronic products and systems for military and civilian purposes. The research institute building is now located on Kutuzovsky Prospect.

Currently, most of the premises are rented by various companies. According to the Fortexgroup portal, an office of 530 m² can be rented for 538.8 thousand rubles (about $5,987) per month. The area of the six-story building is 12.6 thousand m², and it is surrounded by a fence.

The auction is scheduled to end on March 4.

The building itself was built in 1938 according to the design of architect Georgy Golts. In the early 1930s, the Vsekokhudozhnik (All-Union Art Association) was allocated 12 hectares of land near the Krasny Baltiets platform. First, an art factory was built on this territory, where theatrical decorations were produced and fabrics for costumes were painted.

In addition, plans included building workshops for artists and creating a plein air for painting from nature. Part of the designed buildings was never built. By 1938, the construction of the art school and workshops was completed. It housed the Central Art and Industrial School (TsKhPU).

However, the art factory existed at this location for a very short time. After the war, the buildings were transferred to other organizations. However, the school continued its work — the TsKhPU was transformed into the Moscow Institute of Applied and Decorative Art (MIPIDI) and occupied the premises until the early 1950s.

In the mid-20th century, the art school building was heavily rebuilt and lost its original appearance.

Now, according to map information, the premises in the building are rented by a furniture store, an event organization company, an engineering and construction company, a confectionery, and stores for household appliances and hunting goods. On the territory of the former art town, the Soul residential complex is being built by developer Forma.

Earlier, Moscow«s Domodedovo Airport was put up for sale for the second time. The first auction did not succeed — only one entrepreneur, Yevgeny Bogaty, submitted an application. Now, interest in the purchase has been expressed by the owners of Sheremetyevo and Vnukovo airports.