Ufa's 19th-century estate rebuild delayed, future use undecided
The building«s appearance in the last days of January 2026.
Work continues in central Ufa to restore the Bukhartovsky estate: the new owners dismantled the 19th-century building in 2024. It turned out that a simple repair was impossible; they had to take it apart and build it anew. But this was not the only difficulty the builders faced. UFA1.RU visited the construction site, looked inside the buildings, and learned why the completion date was postponed by two years.
The main building as it looked in February 2023.
Before the revolution, the premises housed residential apartments and a pharmacy. During the Soviet era, it was home to hairdressers and members of the secret police, and later the buildings were used for housing. In 2018, residents were relocated due to the structures« emergency condition. After that, they stood abandoned, attracting the attention of homeless people. A fire in 2020, likely started by them, severely damaged a significant portion of the estate, including its rooftop tower.
A view of Aksakova Street near the construction site.
In 2021–2022, the authorities tried to sell the property several times — in the end, it was bought for two million rubles (about $22,200 at current rates) by businessman Konstantin Kulikov from Bulgakovo.
The main house of the Bukhartovsky estate undergoing reconstruction.
Konstantin Kulikov was previously a co-owner of several construction firms. Currently, his main organization is LLC «LM-Stroy» from Birsk, which was previously owned by the developer «Bild» (which built a school in Kuznetsovsky Zaton). The company is engaged in construction and renovation, and has carried out projects in southern Russia and the Urals.
The estate«s wing, the second building of the complex, under construction.
Kulikov is also connected with two special-purpose developers, one of which builds houses in Salavat. Additionally, he has a sole proprietorship also operating in construction. The combined revenue for all entities was 29 million rubles (about $322,000) at the end of 2024, with a net profit of 96 thousand rubles (about $1,100).
We visited the site at the end of 2024: construction had been underway for just over six months at that point. After nearly 16 months, two floors of both buildings are ready; windows are already installed in one, while the other still awaits them.
The initial completion date was set for 2025. In a conversation with UFA1.RU, the head of the reconstruction project, Adelina Bagayeva, explained that the pre-design documentation only mentioned replacing the lower and upper log courses and did not anticipate changing the building«s overall structure.
«But when we dismantled the burnt roof and gained access inside to the burnt walls, it became clear that the structural framework could not be preserved. A new expert examination was conducted — it was decided to completely dismantle the building, sort through the logs, and reassemble it,» explained Adelina Bagayeva.
The current readiness of the entire object is 60-70%. After construction work is finished, interior and exterior finishing will be required. According to the contract terms, the buildings must be restored to their original appearance. However, finishing cannot begin immediately — the logs must settle, which will take one or two years.
Since the construction deadlines were breached, extending them, according to the contract, was only possible through the courts. During the process, which lasted several months, construction was halted. In the end, the court extended the construction deadline until the end of 2027.
«Work resumed at the beginning of 2026. Nothing is hindering us now. All deadlines are extended, documents are signed, historical and state expert examinations have been passed, the necessary permits obtained, and we will increase the pace,» shared the head of the reconstruction project.
If everything goes according to plan, the houses will be handed over before the end of 2027, they promise no later.
«The building structures are assembled, both buildings are already under a roof, and window frames are installed. We will continue installing windows, trim, begin interior finishing, and work on utility networks. We are monitoring the settling, recording how much the logs shrink in each building. If everything goes as it should, we will plaster in 2026. If the process drags on, it may have to be postponed to 2027. That is already beyond our control; it»s a natural factor,« explained Adelina Bagayeva.
Nature strongly impacts the construction: in the summer of 2024, work had to be stopped due to heavy downpours; the logs were slippery, creating a danger for the builders.
Workers at the site said that in the winter of 2026, they also had to stand idle for several days due to -30°C (-22°F) frost: on the roof, it was even colder because of the wind, making it pointless to work for five minutes and then go down to warm up. They returned when it warmed up.
What will be in the buildings after the reconstruction is finished remains an open question. The court process to extend the construction deadlines, among other things, prevented the conclusion of any leases or agreements.
«Many options were considered; we have not reached a final decision. There were proposals to place a restaurant there, and private medical clinics and banks wanted to set up their offices. Now our hands are untied, we can boldly continue this work. We have no particular preferences; we are ready to consider everything,» noted the head of the reconstruction project, Adelina Bagayeva.
Here is how the estate will look after reconstruction. Its historical colors will be restored — during the Soviet years, the building was repainted.
Incidentally, this block has not changed much in recent decades, meaning the streets remain as narrow as they were. Therefore, it was difficult for trucks delivering logs to enter. They were allocated time windows on weekend nights so they could calmly block the road.
Initially, it was planned to build the houses without basements, but it was decided to preserve them, although this brought additional costs.
«It was a pity to bury such beauty. The scale was very impressive. We do not plan to finish the basements yet, but in the future it will be possible to use them,» Adelina Bagayeva told UFA1.RU.
Moreover, pre-revolutionary artifacts were found under the floors. Now they want to make a museum with them there.
