Piskaryovsky Ave, 3, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 195027
The red brick water tower is the only building of the former Okhta Paper Spinning Manufactory that has survived to this day. It is a vivid reminder of one of the oldest and most respected industrial enterprises of the current Krasnogvardeysky District. Today, the tower, recognized as a monument of regional significance, has been freed from its original utilitarian functions. It is surrounded by modern residential complexes and, according to some experts, harmoniously fits into this architectural ensemble. However, for now, it plays a purely decorative role in it.
The private paper spinning manufactory, like many other important ventures, appeared on the Okhta thanks to representatives of the merchant class. In the mid-1840s, Alexander Forsman and Friedrich Holtzgauer purchased land plot No. 1 in the first quarter of the Okhta area (at the beginning of the current Piskaryovsky Prospect) for its construction. In 1847, they founded the joint-stock partnership "Okhta Paper Spinning Mill." On June 11, 1848, the draft charter of the partnership was presented to Emperor Nicholas I. The draft was approved by the highest authority. Around this time, the first building of the paper spinning mill was constructed. Thus began the history of an enterprise that lasted for one and a half centuries.
In the 1850s, a land dispute arose between the partnership and the Okhta transferred settlements, which had to be resolved through the courts. The case was concluded in 1856 in favor of the entrepreneurs.
By the mid-1850s, stone buildings of the manufactory were erected according to the design of architect Roman Romanovich von Henrichsen. The complex acquired a finished look: in plan, it was a rectangle with an inner courtyard. However, construction did not stop there. In the second half of the 19th century, the manufactory expanded with new buildings: both substantial stone ones and temporary wooden ones. It was equipped with the best foreign machinery of that period. Some machines made by the English firm "Howard and Bull" operated until the 20th century, albeit with some improvements.
The construction of the Okhta manufactory significantly changed the local landscape. What was once a summer cottage area rapidly transformed into an industrial suburb. The artist Alexander Nikolaevich Benois, whose family rented a summer house nearby in the 1870s–1880s (where he spent three summers of his childhood), wrote about this in his memoirs: "...an English paper spinning factory grew up on Okhta, and one of its red buildings, with a chimney emitting clouds of black smoke and its constant noise, completely changed the character of the entire area" ("My Memoirs").
At the turn of the 19th–20th centuries, the appearance of the Okhta paper spinning mill was shaped by Vasily Vasilyevich Shaub. This architect’s name is mainly associated with the Art Nouveau style, but in this case, he worked more in the spirit of late eclecticism. Under Shaub’s guidance, the manufactory was rebuilt. In the 1900s, the square-section water tower was presumably built. It was integrated into the main production building and formed a single whole with it. Architecturally, it is a rather ordinary structure, yet quite remarkable as an artifact of the industrial era.
The workers at the manufactory labored under extremely harsh conditions, so demonstrations, strikes, and walkouts were common here. The main demand of the strikers was to reduce the working day. Just imagine working in a penal-like environment for 12–14 hours a day, earning mere pennies! The manufactory even employed very young children, and most of the workers were women.
After the October Revolution, the enterprise was first mothballed (in 1918) and then nationalized (in 1919). In 1925, it resumed operations as the "Vozrozhdenie" (Revival) factory. Since then, the enterprise repeatedly changed its subordination. In the 1930s, the factory’s territory was expanded. It did not operate during the Great Patriotic War.
After the war, the factory was reconstructed. The equipment was modernized and updated several times. Soviet machines replaced the English ones in the workshops. In 1970, the factory became the head enterprise of the Leningrad Spinning and Weaving Production Association "Vozrozhdenie," established at that time.
The Soviet period in the enterprise’s history is also recalled by the building at 1 Revolyutsii Highway. It housed the club of the "Vozrozhdenie" factory. Today, it is the additional office "Okhtinsky" of the Bank "Saint Petersburg."
In 1998, production was ceased. The factory buildings stood empty for some time. In 2001, KGIOP included the complex of buildings of the former Okhta Paper Spinning Manufactory in the List of newly identified objects representing historical, scientific, artistic, or other cultural value. However, by 2005, all buildings of the former manufactory, except the water tower, were removed from this list. Moreover, in 2007–2008, all buildings stripped of protection status, except the former workers’ barracks, were demolished: the territory was cleared for large-scale construction.
By the way, the water tower was also planned to be demolished. But in the end, it was defended and decided to be preserved as "the only testimony to the historical depth of this place." In 2009, the tower was recognized as a cultural heritage site of regional significance. The resettled former barracks building was much less fortunate: it was demolished in the early 2010s.
However, at that time, the tower urgently needed help. It was in an emergency condition and, following the example of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, began to tilt. The water tower was transplanted onto a new pile foundation. Due to soil conditions, the builders had to use 16 piles reaching depths of up to 50 meters! Now, according to the developer’s representatives, the tower rests on Cambrian clay layers and is practically insured against subsidence. In addition, the tower’s walls were reinforced; floors and staircases were restored and strengthened; the lost roof was rebuilt; and external restoration work was carried out. Around the water tower, several tiers of cast-iron columns were installed, which previously formed the internal framework of the main production building.
Sources:
https://www.gov.spb.ru/gov/terr/krasnogvard/news/250696/
