Underground architecture: Kirovsky Zavod metro station

My trip to this metro station had a definite purpose: I was going to take some photos of the monument. It's not that the monument is in any danger, most likely it will remain intact. But in the very near future it will have to leave its usual place. Now a new metro line is being built, and Kirovsky Zavod station will become a transfer station. At the end of the hall there will be a transition to the new line. It is not yet known where the monument will be moved to.

Kirovsky Zavod (Kirov Plant) metro station was opened on 15 November 1955. On this day eight underground stations of the first metro line were opened. At the same time, the Baltiyskaya station, about which I recently told you, the Avtovo station, which is considered to be the most beautiful metro station in St. Petersburg, and five more stations, each of which is architecturally interesting, were opened.

It would have been logical to tell about these metro stations one by one, gradually moving along the line - but I chose a different order for several reasons. Firstly, the upcoming renovation, I started my story with this reason. But there is another one. I wanted to put Baltiyskaya and Kirovsky Zavod stations next to each other because they seem similar to me. All the other stations are quite different from each other, and at a quick glance through the train window you will immediately recognise the station where the train has arrived.

Both Baltiyskaya and Kirovsky Zavod are faced with grey marble and you have to be more attentive if you need one of these stations. This logistical difficulty is slowly becoming a thing of the past. On the new trains, you can quickly orientate yourself by the light indication in the carriage. But in the past, there was no such indication, and if you were reading a book during the journey or thinking about something, it was sometimes not immediately obvious where you were travelling to when you arrived at the station.

At the same time, Baltiyskaya and Kirovsky Zavod stations are quite different from each other. And if you pay attention to the details in advance, you won't be able to mix them up later. Starting with the fact that the marble for lining the columns has a different pattern. The colour of marble is really very similar, but the pattern is different. The columns and walls of Kirovsky Zavod station are faced with light grey Caucasian marble "Upper Svanetia", while for facing the columns and walls of Baltiyskaya station marble from the Ural deposit was used. The shape of the columns is also different.

The lighting at Kirovsky Zavod station was made according to a new technology for those years. Through grids consist of strips of organic glass, behind them daylight lamps were installed at a certain distance. A smooth, soft, calm light pours from the ceiling of the hall, creating the illusion of an open sky above the frosted glass. The technology was new, and the authors of the project spent a lot of time and effort to find the perfect combination of fin heights and hole sections. Too small cells impaired the illumination of the underground hall, while too large cells left the lamps visible and the "open sky" effect was lost.

A monument to Vladimir Lenin is installed at the end of the hall. During the design process it was planned to install a monument to Sergey Mironovich Kirov, but for unknown reasons it was not done. There could not be any considerations of an ideological nature here, it is just a bit strange. The station got its name because it is located next to the factory that bears Kirov's name. So we can say that the metro station is also named in honour of Sergei Mironovich Kirov. By the way, in one of the unrealised projects of the station it was planned to install a full-length monument to Kirov (not a modest bust, as in the implemented project).

The station's decoration is dedicated to industrialisation. The upper part of the marble columns is decorated with high reliefs, the subjects of which tell about the main areas of heavy industry. The high reliefs are made of aluminium, due to the subsequent treatment this metal looks very unusual. Above, on the vault of the hall, there are moulded arcs with the emblem of the Kirov Plant.

The ground lobby of Kirovsky Zavod metro station is located on Stachek Avenue in a freestanding building. This building is currently under renovation and is surrounded by a fence, so the photo does not give an accurate idea of the architecture of this pavilion. However, we joke that you can easily update your memory of the appearance of this building if you look at a five-dollar note. The station is built in a neoclassical style, and the architects were inspired by ancient Greek temples when working on the design. Inside, there is a large circular-shaped auditorium adjoined by passenger entrance and exit areas.

While searching for materials about the history of the construction of this station, I found this website most informative and detailed:
https://mirmetro.net/spb/01/14_kirovsky_zavod