The area was inhabited by difficult people back in Soviet times, and now it has reappeared at the top lines of the charts of elite locations
“Government route”, my friend Konstantin pointedly noted. We stood on the balcony of his newly purchased apartment in the Match Point apartment block, while Kutuzovsky Prospekt sparkled with car lights below us.
The apartment was small, but the modest size of the housing made up for the beautiful view and high ceilings. Kostya was not at all embarrassed by the number of square meters, he felt a sense of pride. It was clear that buying an apartment in a premium complex on the legendary Kutuzovsky was like communion for him, entering a new world, into the world of successful and successful people.
Indeed, the Kutuzovsky area was inhabited by difficult people back in Soviet times. High-ranking officials, diplomats, scientists, famous people of art and sports. The number of the “greats” who lived here is indicated by memorial plaques, of which there are many on every house. It was simply impossible to settle on Kutuzovskoye, it was considered an area of the nomenklatura.
Among other metropolitan streets and avenues, Kutuzovsky has always stood out for its beautiful architecture. This is a single ensemble formed during the heyday of the Stalinist Empire: from the mid-30s to 1957. The avenue was conceived as a front entrance to the city from the west, so that any entering foreigner and Soviet person could immediately feel the power, strength and beauty of Moscow and the Soviet state. In addition, the famous Rublevka is located in the west, which has historically been the focus of government dachas. Half a century ago, the first people of the state flew along Kutuzovsky in corteges, they continue to do this to this day.
It is interesting that the location of elite districts in the west of the city is not only a Moscow feature. The division into “the respectable prestigious west and the rustic proletarian east” can be clearly seen in London, Paris and many other European cities. This is due to the European wind rose. Fresh air is brought to cities from the west, which is why all production is located in the east.
Creating Kutuzovsky as the “Moscow West”, they did not spare money for beauty. Many houses here look like greatly enlarged Italian palazzo: colonnades and porticoes in several rows, cornices and rustications. Moreover, the houses were built by architects with impeccable taste, who were educated in pre-revolutionary Russia and saw Italian masterpieces live, during internships, and not in pictures. When creating Kutuzovsky, they did not skimp on expensive materials: marble and granite.
True, it was not possible to complete the construction of Kutuzovsky in Stalin's times, and several buildings fell under the “fight against architectural excesses” by Nikita Khrushchev. Ready-made houses were mercilessly simplified, removing any hint of decor. There are only a few similar “stripping” houses on Kutuzovsky, but they are even good for contrast. Against their background, such richly decorated masterpieces as Kutuzovsky, 26, look even more advantageous. By the way, two general secretaries of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union lived in this extraordinary house: Leonid Brezhnev and Yuri Andropov, which adds another touch to the elite of the area.
Kutuzovsky with his amazing architecture looks very impressive in motion, from a car. The details of the buildings are so selected that they do not flicker, but flow harmoniously. It is as if you are moving in incredible scenery left behind by the powerful Atlantean civilization, which, moreover, cared for beauty and harmony. The hotel “Ukraine” looks especially impressive in motion. It is like a dynamic sculpture that smoothly changes its appearance (the building looks most advantageous when you pass it at a speed of 60-70 kilometers per hour).
Add to the unforgettable architecture huge green courtyards of such size that in Europe they would be ranked not even as squares, but as parks. And also the high social homogeneity of the residents of Kutuzovsky. High-speed highway, along which you can get from the Kremlin to Barvikha near Moscow without a traffic light. The proximity of the Moskva River and the main business district of the capital – “City”. If all this is summed up, it will immediately become clear why Kutuzovsky remains a prestigious and expensive area in the real estate sector to this day.
In the 90s, Kutuzovsky Prospekt was the most prestigious area of the city. Apartments here cost the same as in the very heart of the capital – on Tverskaya. Outside the center, only the districts of Sokol and the university were in the same league with him, but were inferior in prestige and prices. However, starting from the 2000s, according to realtors and the press, Kutuzovsky suddenly dropped out of the elite districts of Moscow. Why? The answer is quite simple. Kutuzovsky Prospect has already been formed, there are practically no places for new construction. And the ratings of fashionable districts are largely formed by developers and realtors for market reasons.
Now Kutuzovsky has reappeared on the top lines of the charts of the elite districts of Moscow. The market could not help but notice that several new high-class residential complexes were erected here. One of the latest and most significant projects is the Match Point apartment block, built in 2019.
The building of the complex has successfully blended into the atmosphere of Kutuzovsky. The architects from the ABV Group bureau tried both to pay tribute to the place and to stretch the threads of modernity to the nearby modern City quarter. “Match Point” is a single ensemble of four buildings of different levels: from 13 to 28 floors. In order to match the noble Kutuzovsky Prospekt in the exterior decoration, granite and Jurassic marble of a light beige shade were used during the construction. The flat “glass” was knocked out of the panorama of Kutuzovsky, and therefore the facades of “Match Point” have a volume reinforced with cornices, gratings, vertical and horizontal moldings. At the same time, it is senseless and unreasonable to compete in art with the Stalinist Empire style today: Match Point is more restrained and laconic.
The neoclassical line is also supported by the structure of the complex. Four buildings form a closed rectangular courtyard-square, which is so common for neoclassical buildings in general, and for Kutuzovsky in particular. The yard is large: with sports tracks and places for quiet rest, flower beds and playgrounds. The interiors of the entrance groups are made according to the author's projects, the groups are equipped with a reception made of natural wood and waiting areas: such details add comfort and nobility to the complex.
At the same time, Match Point has something that the inhabitants of Stalinist houses could not dream of. There is a three-level parking underground, and the number of parking spaces in it is greater than the number of apartments in the complex. Below ground level, there are storage rooms where you can store bicycles, winter tires, skis and snowboards, baby carriages and everything that usually clutters up an apartment. Well, and, of course, the complex is distinguished by modern spacious layouts and latest generation engineering.
In general, the apartment block is a harmonious balance between following the traditions of neoclassical architecture and modern requirements for high-class housing. At the same time, Match Point offers the most affordable offers in the area of Kutuzovsky Prospekt.
