Russian neoclassical revival

Russian neoclassical revival was a trend in Russian culture, mostly pronounced in architecture, that briefly replaced eclecticism and Art Nouveau as the leading architectural style between the Revolution of 1905 and the outbreak of World War I, coexisting with the Silver Age of Russian Poetry. It is characterized by merger of new technologies (steel frame and reinforced concrete) with moderate application of classical order and the legacy of Russian empire style of the first quarter of 19th century.

Revival school was most active in Saint Petersburg, less in Moscow and other cities. The style was a common choice for luxury country estates, upper-class apartment and office buildings; at the same time it was practically non-existent in church and government architecture. Neoclassical architects born in the 1870s, who reached their peak activity in 1905-1914 (Ivan Fomin, Vladimir Shchuko, Ivan Zholtovsky), later became leading figures in stalinist architecture of the 1930s and shaped Soviet architectural education system.

In early 20th century, Russian architecture (at least in Moscow) was dominated by "diverse and protean"Style Moderne, a local adaptation of Art Nouveau. This style peaked in 1900-1904, and manifested itself in denial of classical order, flowing curvilinear shapes, floral ornaments and expensive artwork. High costs and exterior novelty limited this style to upper-class mansions, retail stores and middle-class apartment blocks. Many upper-class clients, especially in Saint Petersburg, rejected Style Moderne and insisted on traditional, neoclassical designs fitting their image of old gold. Art Nouveau never reached the "universal" status: the Church relied on Russian Revival tradition, while the charities and majority of homeowners used the economical "red brick" eclecticism. Muscovite Neo-Grec of the 1870s-1880s was nearly forgotten, with a single exclusion of Roman Klein's Pushkin Museum (1898–1912). Meanwhile, numerous Empire style cathedrals, public buildings and private mansions of Alexandrine period that shaped central squares of Russian towns remained a nearly omnipresent, impressive statement of classicism, associated with the glorious age of Napoleonic wars and Russian poetry.

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