ABSTRACT
This chapter reconstructs and reframes latent legacies, delves into the reasons behind the prevalence of women in Russian architecture, and investigates the ways in which their work has been downplayed in the Soviet and Russian contexts. The inquiry is rooted in history informed by the 1917 October Revolution that secured transformative gains for women by putting into place civil laws, in theory declaring gender equality motivated by the vision of social liberation. Pioneering portfolios are highlighted of four largely unknown caryatids of Russian architecture—Lydia Komarova (1902–2002), architect of major university centers, noted scholar, and designer of the spiral skyscraper (1929); Tamara Kovalevskaya (1923–86), architect of primary public structures in the Russian North, educator, and public official; Nina Aleshina (1924–2012), head of the Design Department of the entire metropolitan transit system and architect of nineteen metro stations in Moscow; and Galina Balashova (b. 1931), first architect of spaceship interiors for the Soviet space program and design genius never officially celebrated by Russian authorities. The emphasis is placed on the professional leadership of these remarkable women. This work aims to break the silence around notable female designers: role models who defined built environments across borders.
