Red brick Parthenon

The majestic building at 22 Chekhov Street, whose austere silhouette is familiar to every Taganrog resident, has been designed as a temple of enlightenment since its appearance in 1916. Its architectural appearance is not just a tribute to fashion, but a meaningful embodiment in stone of the high status of knowledge and culture that the new educational institution was supposed to carry.

The construction of the building began in 1914, designed by architect Alexander Ginzburg for the Alekseevskaya girls' Gymnasium, and the choice of neoclassical style was made consciously. In contrast to the lavish and whimsical modernity, neoclassicism appealed to the ideals of reason, harmony and order — these were the values that were supposed to be taught in gymnasium students. Locals called the gymnasium "the University of Athens in miniature."

The central element of the composition was a monumental portico of six powerful Doric columns, raised to a high rusticated basement. These columns, made of red brick, support a high triangular pediment, giving the facade completeness and solemnity. However, Ginzburg avoided excessive severity: The austerity of the Doric portico is softened by the elegant and bright Venetian windows on the second floor. Such windows, divided into three parts, were characteristic of the Italian Renaissance and brought a note of grace and light to the appearance of the building.

Interestingly, the material basis of this "ancient temple" literally grew out of the history of Taganrog itself. The builders had to demolish a high earthen rampart, a remnant of the ramparts of the Trinity Fortress of Peter the Great. Thus, the gymnasium building is physically and symbolically erected on the foundation of the southern outpost of Russia.

The interior, judging by the memoirs of contemporaries, continued this lofty theme. The ceiling of the assembly hall was decorated with murals depicting the patron muses of arts and sciences.

Thus, architect Alexander Ginzburg created not just a functional school building, but a holistic artistic image. Every detail, from the global choice of style to the window design, worked for one goal: to visually affirm the enduring value of education based on classical, time-tested ideals of beauty, harmony and reason. From the very beginning, the building spoke by its appearance: Science is served here.

It's a long way from high school classrooms to college classrooms

The fate of the building at 22 Chekhov Street turned out to be a mirror of the turbulent history of the whole country in the first half of the 20th century. Built for enlightenment, it was forced to repeatedly change its purpose.

The peaceful life of the Alekseevskaya girls' gymnasium in the new walls was short-lived. The outbreak of the First World War in 1916, just a few months after the opening, turned the bright classrooms into the wards of a military hospital. The wounded, who came from the fronts, occupied all the rooms of the newly created infirmary. Even an old round powder magazine left over from the fortress was adapted for the needs of the hospital, and a disinfection chamber was set up in it.

In 1918-1919, the intelligence department of the headquarters of the Volunteer Army under the command of General Anton Denikin was located under the arches of the building. Nikolai Katenev, a Taganrog resident who served in this headquarters, recalled how they studied front maps and compiled secret reports in the building of the former gymnasium.

With the establishment of Soviet power, a new series of transformations began, reflecting the new government's search for optimal forms of educational organization. First, from 1920 to 1923, an "exemplary classroom" was created in the building for teachers' pedagogical practice - an attempt to build a new Soviet system of teacher education. Then it was replaced by orphanage No. 2, which gave shelter to underprivileged children.

By the end of the 1920s, the Taganrog Agricultural College (TSHTP) was located here. A dormitory for students was set up in its right wing, and classrooms where field husbandry and animal husbandry were studied in the left wing.

In 1930, the Taganrog Institute of Mechanization of Socialist Agriculture (TIMSH) was established on the basis of the college. This event had historical significance — the first higher educational institution in the history of Taganrog was opened in the walls of the former gymnasium. The Institute developed rapidly, and by the end of the 1930s, new academic buildings and a dormitory had grown next to the historical building, forming an entire campus.

During the Great Patriotic War, the building was forced to share the fate of the entire city under occupation — it was occupied by the Nazi invaders.

After the war, the Institute of Agricultural Mechanization and Electrification was transferred from Zernograd to this building, which occupied the building and continued to train agricultural specialists much needed by the country until 1952.

This amazing story prepared the building for its next stellar turn, which began in 1952 with the establishment of the Taganrog Radio Engineering Institute.

The Radio Engineering Era: from space breakthroughs to the digital future

The transfer of the building in 1952 to the newly created Taganrog Radio Engineering Institute (TRTI) was not just another sign change, but the beginning of a long journey in the era of radio, electronics and space exploration.

The Institute, which received its first residence permit within these walls, from the very first days was focused on solving tasks of national importance. And the spirit of the new age materialized in bronze: right in front of the main entrance, which by that time had become common and central, a monument to Sergei Korolev and Yuri Gagarin was erected in 1975.

This monument is not just a tribute, but a direct indication of the contribution of TRTI graduates. The first ten engineers with a degree in Automation and telemechanics, who graduated from the institute, were sent to the design bureau of the legendary Korolev and were directly involved in the launch of the first artificial satellite of the Earth and the preparation of the flight of the first man into space.

There was an intense scientific and educational life inside the building. It was here, in Building A, that the TRTI library opened its doors to its first readers on August 25, 1952. Starting with a collection of 20,000 books, by 1990, thanks to the titanic work of the staff and the help of the country's largest libraries, it had turned into a powerful repository with more than 1.2 million items. The library remains within these walls to this day, being a living artery connecting generations of students and scientists.

Since 1988, the building has once again confirmed its role as a forge of talents, becoming one of the venues for the Taganrog Multidisciplinary Educational Lyceum (TMOL). The lyceum, created by the staff of the Department of Higher Mathematics of TRTI, gave a start in life to gifted schoolchildren, many of whom later became students of the institute. It was a unique model of continuity, when the higher school actively participated in the preparation of future applicants right within its walls.

A new era began after 2006, when TRTU (by that time the university) became part of the Southern Federal University. In 2010, the lyceum moved to its own building, and the historical building "A" continued its life as part of the SFedU Engineering and Technology Academy.

Today, the Institute of Management in Economic, Environmental and Social Systems is based here. This is a modern department, whose activities perfectly fit into the multifaceted history of the building: it trains managers who are able to work at the intersection of disciplines, develop convergent technologies and solve complex problems of sustainable development.

Today, under the roof of Building A, there is a sports hall, where student life is in full swing, and scientific laboratories, where innovations are born, memorial plaques telling about the glorious past, and multimedia classrooms. The building, which is an object of cultural heritage, is not just preserved by the SFedU as a monument — it lives a rich, dynamic life.