Malaya St., 7-9, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 196601
The history of electric lighting in Tsarskoye Selo began in 1887, when the first power station in Russia was housed in the Singing Tower and provided light to 3,000 lamps. By 1896, its capacity was no longer sufficient, and it was decided to build another power station. By 1896, Tsarskoye Selo had become the first European city whose street lighting was entirely electric.
In the city, streets, palaces, public buildings, and some private houses were illuminated, with every light bulb registered by the electrical service. In 1896, a commission was established to address the issue of insufficient capacity of the city power station, which included architect Danini and engineer Shvede.
After considering the option of expanding the existing power station, it was decided to build a second one and divide the consumers between them: the new station was to serve the Catherine and Alexander Palaces, Alexander Park, the emperor’s guard barracks, and the building of the court-stable department. The old station would supply electricity to the city. The site was chosen close to both palaces and water. Through competitions, equipment suppliers were selected: boilers were supplied by the "Fitzner and Gamper" factory, and dynamo machines by the Riga factory. In 1897, the barracks began to be illuminated.
The construction of the power station was led by Danini. By 1897, the construction was completed, and at the intersection of Malaya and Tserkovnaya streets stood a beautiful one-story building in the style of English medieval architecture. It featured tall windows with pointed arches, battlements resembling a fortress wall. The pointed outlines of the building formed pinnacles with finials and cross flowers. The chimneys were designed as battlemented towers. The walls were left unplastered. Overall, the building fit well among the neighboring structures and is considered one of the architect’s best works. The pole in front of the building was made according to his design.
Meanwhile, engineer Shvede was preparing the station’s equipment. In addition to the planned subscribers, the new Imperial railway pavilion and a newly built residential building in the reserve yard were also illuminated. On November 8, 1898, the power station was officially opened. Initially, four oil-fired boilers were installed, but a few years later, expansion was necessary. By 1911, there were five steam boilers, two dynamo machines each with a capacity of 350 horsepower, directly connected to alternating current generators at 2000 volts, as well as a machine and generator in a 40-horsepower compound, and one 500-horsepower steam turbo generator.
After the war, the station was reconstructed and housed a factory popularly called "Igolka" ("Needle") because it produced needles for primuses.
In the 1960s, the factory began producing electrical goods: "Vikhr" vacuum cleaners, irons, and so on.
Today, the building has been transferred to the "Institute of Jurisprudence and Entrepreneurship," which is funding its restoration.
Sources:
https://www.citywalls.ru/house18556.html
