SUMMARY:

Seeking to modernize the Russian Empire by enhancing its inner cohesion through standardizing the social landscape, the government of Alexander I elaborated sample architectural projects that developers were required to emulate. First, the collection of projects for provincial public buildings was confirmed in 1803, and for private houses in 1809 and 1812. For the next half century, every new private house in Russian towns had to be built following one of the available sample projects. This utopia of compulsory unification came into conflict with local enthnocultural traditions of housebuilding, and the conflict was resolved through mutual compromises and mirrored relationships of domination and dependency. Thus, when the government required the houses on each plot to be aligned along the street, Tatar homeowners would build barns and stores facing the street while keeping their residences inside the plot, away from prying eyes. The government published and distributed collections of mandatory architectural designs, which Tatar developers applied to the facades of those barns along the streets, leaving the interior planning unchanged. Moreover, they eagerly borrowed the floor plans of Russian gentry mansions but adapted them to the Muslim norm of segregated “male” and “female” quarters with separate entrances. At some point, Tatar developers began commissioning “individual projects” that fit their needs. Each project had to be confirmed by the government in St. Petersburg, but upon confirmation it became another “sample project” available to everyone. Eventually, when the system of compulsory architectural projects was abolished in 1858, Tatar homeowners continued to rely heavily on the old official manuals, which now contained many locally produced designs and helped to save on commissioning new projects. In the end, the imperial government enforced the norms developed by local Tatar developers, while Tatar homeowners began using the elements of “European” architectural design in an attempt to formulate the visual representation of modern Tatar identity.