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Nikolai Nikitin
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Nikolai Vasilyevich Nikitin (Russian: Николай Васильевич Никитин) (15 December 1907 - 3 March 1973) was a heavily awarded structural designer and construction engineer of the Soviet Union best known for his monumental structures.
Creations he is known for include:
- Moscow State University's 240 m (787 ft) high main building. At the time of its construction it was the tallest building in Europe. Built from 1949 to 1953.
- Warsaw Palace of Culture and Science, constructed from 1952 to 1955 also in partnership with Lev Rudnev as main architect.
- Luzhniki Stadium
- Colossal 85 meter statue on the Mamayev Kurgan heights overlooking Volgograd, "The Motherland calls" used 7900 tons of concrete and steel in a dramatic sculpture design by Yevgeny Vuchetich.
- Ostankino Tower- Completed in 1967, at 540 metres (1772 feet), the highest freestanding structure in Eurasia.
Nikitin was born in Tobolsk, Siberia to the family of a typographical engineer who later worked as a judicial clerk. When Nikolai was 17 a snake bite left him with a permanent foot injury. In 1930, Nikitin graduated from the Tomsk Technological Institute with training in construction.
In 1932, he designed the train station of Novosibirsk. By 1937, he was living and working in Moscow. He turned his attention to calculations for the foundation of the monumental Palace of Soviets which was to be constructed at the site of the dynamited Cathedral of Christ the Saviour.
In 1957 he was appointed chief designer of Mosproekt-2 - Institute for the Planning of Housing and Civil Engineering Construction in the City of Moscow. Nikitin died on 3 March 1973 and is buried in Novodevichy Cemetery.