Description of the attraction
The Evening Hall pavilion is located near the border of the Ekaterininsky and Alexandrovsky parks, near the Podkaprizovaya road. The construction of the pavilion was started in 1796 by the architect Ilya Vasilyevich Neelov. However, it was interrupted during the reign of Emperor Paul I and was resumed only in 1806 according to a modified project, which was drawn up by architects Peter Vasilyevich Neelov (brother of I. V. Neelov) and Luigi Rusca.
The pavilion is characterized by typical late classical features with a gravitation towards the wide surface of the walls, lively sculpture. As conceived by Ruska, the central part of the front facade is distinguished by a four-column Ionic portico with a high attic. The walls on the sides of the portico are faced with a thin "French" rustic finish; on the sides of the windows, on low pedestals, one can see caryatids (statues), which are supported by straight, heavy sandriks with a large stem. As a result of these alterations, the "Evening Hall" lost its original appearance, which was conceived by P. V. Neelov, who had plans to decorate the facade with "palm trees with trunks made of tinned logs with crowns", and acquired the characteristic features of late classicism.
The building area is 204 sq.m. The "Evening Hall" includes a large rectangular hall and two small offices on the sides. The walls of the Great Hall were decorated with artificial marble, lost during the Second World War; in their upper part by the artist-decorator F. Shcherbakov, a picturesque frieze was painted. It depicts cupids on chariots and deer against the backdrop of a park landscape. The plafond of the central hall, restored after 1941-1945, has survived from the previous picturesque decoration.
Before the revolution, the "Evening Hall" was used as a chamber concert hall, then dancing was done here. During the Great Patriotic War, the pavilion was badly damaged. Art critic Anatoly Mikhailovich Kuchumov, in a letter to his wife dated June 23, 1944, writes that the sign "Pushkintorg's Cafe" has survived on the building of the "Evening Hall", and inside there is a stable with manure one meter high.
In 1956, with the opening of the summer season, the "Evening Hall" was a dance pavilion. Later, a ski base was located here, then a restoration workshop, then an exhibition and lecture halls.
Large-scale restoration of the Evening Hall pavilion began in 2007. In two years, the facade and the roof were put in order. Inside, the ceiling, floors and walls were repaired with the restoration of paintings on them. Currently, the "Evening Hall" is open to visitors. It is used as an exhibition and concert hall.
