# Any Nostalgia For Communist-Era Architecture? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 5, 2012, 11:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-nostalgia-for-communist-era-architecture/636858 "2012-10-05T23:01:19Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 1:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-nostalgia-for-communist-era-architecture/636858/21 "2012-10-07T13:51:31Z")
Yeah, well, deal with it. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2012, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-nostalgia-for-communist-era-architecture/636858/22 "2012-10-07T14:27:41Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > What do you mean by this question exactly? Do you own any such buildings? Are you asking for advice on what to do with these buildings you own? > > Generally, people who own buildings can do whatever they want with them within the confines of zoning, nuisance, etc. laws. Asking what “should” be done with buildings you don’t own seems weird to me. Seriously?:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![MichaelQReilly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@MichaelQReilly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MichaelQReilly)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 1:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-nostalgia-for-communist-era-architecture/636858/23 "2012-10-08T01:44:09Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Interesting piece of trivia - the “Stalinist Style” actually originated in New York. Right before WW1, Joseph Stalin visited Manhattan and was so impressed by the new [Manhattan Municipal Building](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manhattan_Municipal_Building) that decades later, he ordered the construction of the [Seven Sisters](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_Sisters_(Moscow))in Moscow, which in turn served as the inspiration for public buildings[throughout the Soviet Block.](http://www.nyc-architecture.com/SCC/SCC030a.htm) In my opinion this type of stuff is actually pretty good. We people think of awful communist architecture, I think they are mostly thinking of awful stuff like [this](http://www.michaeltotten.com/images/Communist%20Blocks%20Georgia%202.jpg). ---
**Author:** ![Imasquare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Imasquare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Imasquare)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-nostalgia-for-communist-era-architecture/636858/24 "2012-10-08T03:06:46Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > The mid twentieth century especially and the 20th century generally were not good times for architecture. Anyway I see your Soviet era construction and raise you [Council houses of England.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Council_house). I spent the first 2 or 3 years of my left living in a council house in England. A few years ago I visited the town I was born in and noticed the council houses now have hideous little pebbles plastered to the outside walls. I think that just makes them look worse. The town in general looks much better than I thought it would due to gentrification. I also visited Russia and Siberia on the same trip. People in Siberia are still living in Soviet era apartment buildings, which are easily the most squalid, nasty buildings I’ve ever seen. They are all identical looking grey tower blocks, very cramped inside, and very run down. The only thing that impressed me about them was the way they are heated - hot water from the nearby nuclear reactor is piped through each of the buildings and keeps them at a comfortable temperature. There is much pre-Soviet architecture left in both Moscow and Tomsk. That is definitely worth keeping. ---
**Author:** ![Hallucinex](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ba9def/32.png) [@Hallucinex](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hallucinex)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2012, 12:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-nostalgia-for-communist-era-architecture/636858/25 "2012-10-08T12:15:36Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > Asking what “should” be done with buildings you don’t own seems weird to me. Even if one of the options on the table might be for people that do care about such buildings to buy them in order to preserve them? That aside…if someone were able to buy the Mona Lisa, and was then considering whether he should just burn it or not, you’d be baffled by people discussing the idea that maybe he “should” not do that? Back to the question, the horrible blocky apartment buildings I’m not too fussed about (but wouldn’t like to see them destroyed to the last), but there are a lot of interesting & wacky public buildings and monuments that are definitely worth keeping around. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-nostalgia-for-communist-era-architecture/636858.md?page=1)