Moscow landmark to fall?

Architects, engineers, academicians and cultural figures around the world have come together in an effort to save the Shabolovka Radio Tower in Moscow, Russia, from demolition. In a petition pleading with Russian president Vladimir Putin to save the structure, it is described as being ‘a beacon and symbol of progressive, forward looking civilisation.”

Commissioned by Lenin, designed by Vladimir Shukhov and completed in 1922, the 50 storey conical structure is made up of a steel latticework sitting on a shallow concrete foundation ring. It was intended to spread the message of Communism around the world using the new radio technology and also to stand as an icon of the new regime’s revolutionary ambition.

Located just a few miles from the Kremlin and Red Square but out of bounds to tourists, the tower has been allowed to fall into disrepair and is badly affected by corrosion. In February, the Russian State Committee for Television and Radio concluded that it should be dismantled because of its condition. The subject of debate in Russian news channels and other discussions, the tower may yet be saved by Vladimir Putin, the Moscow city government or a change of heart by the Committee.