In the Shadow of Moskva-City

The massive surface of the Presnensky district is used to having its face changed. In 1908, its local tributary was wrapped in an underground tube, only to see daylight as it flowed into Moscow’s principal river next to where the Russian government building now stands.

By 1954 one of the huge “Stalin's sisters” skyscrapers stood in the district’s center, and in 1991 the administrative boundaries of the whole area were redrawn and its name shortened from Krasnopresnensky.

With change has come some improvement though and in the modern city the Presnensky district is at least comparatively well serviced. “The infrastructure is definitely better now than it used to be; public transport and utilities now work quite well for instance,” said Moscow-based events and PR manager and resident of the area, Natalya Karmaleyeva. “My family has lived here since the 1970s and seen a lot of changes, of course,” she explained, pointing to some events of the last few decades in the Presnensky area.

An especially symbolic change in the neighborhood was the relocation of the once celebrated and historic Presnensky public baths.

As the river Presnya was the first watercourse to be “bottled” in Russia and Gorbaty Bridge near Krasnopresnenskaya Naberezhnaya became just decoration, so its water became inaccessible except in the resulting district ponds, like the ones at Moscow Zoo. Yet 200 years ago, the water from the river was actually used to run the baths and banya, which were housed on what is today Krasnaya Presnya Ulitsa.

The baths became one of the most celebrated and popular places in the city to go to wash — and, as in many banyas, to socialize — and by the early 20th century were decorated by the likes of Russian painter Mikhail Vrubel.

But in a bid to assert himself on the city like his predecessors, Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev took to redrawing much of Moscow’s architecture — including widening the former Bolshaya Presnenskaya Ulitsa in 1980. So the baths were knocked down at their original spot and rebuilt a block northwards, nearer to Ulitsa 1905 Goda metro station.

Business Plan

The newest and most conspicuous mutation to Presnensky’s image is arguably the construction of the deserted-looking Moskva-City development, first conceived in the early 1990s as an international business district to be located within the city.

Developers and realtors assure that eventually the vertically ambitious business district will be finished and ready to operate more or less according to original plans, albeit not on time. When that does happen, the effect on the overall Presnensky district will be considerable, said Yekaterina Garcia, director of city real estate at newly formed Aliyans Realty in Moscow.

“Moskva-City is a high-status project for both Moscow and the whole country. It will be as successful as Canary Wharf in London or La Defense in Paris,” Garcia predicted.

“The Presnensky district will be constantly bubbling with life thanks to hotels in the new business district, cinemas, exhibition halls and concert venues. The whole region will develop through all the infrastructure and transport links, and this will help influence the construction of the elite residential market in Presnensky too.”

Indeed, later this year, a major retail project that has already been delayed, Mall of Russia, is due to open and commentators said its more than 100,000 square meters of shops will help contribute to gradually growing demand for residential real estate in the Presnensky district.

However, there is still quite a long way to go not just in terms of erecting the mammoth towers still under construction in Moskva-City, but also of achieving efficient transport links and infrastructure for the site.

“For the Presnensky district to develop overall, a mass of problems in the Moskva-City area needs to be resolved, such as access to transportation — and there already seems to be a deficit of parking. Only when this complex mechanism begins to function will we be able to say that the area has achieved a new status,” Garcia explained.

Among the plans for transport improvement is a rail link to Sheremetyevo Airport, north of the city, although no construction on that has yet begun. Residents agree that the area could benefit from Moskva-City’s completion, if its prestige can only live up to its name. “In itself it’s a good idea, but to be truly positive it of course needs to match the reputation it is projecting,” Karmaleyeva said.

With a reputation somewhat on hold though, realtors say that now could be the right time to invest in local property. Only in May IntermarkSavills was touting the “promising purchase of an apartment on Krasnaya Presnya Ulitsa” or the prospect of a share in the huge Trilogy block, in park space on Tryokhgorny Val Ulitsa, near Ulitsa 1905 Goda station. In April, Trilogy accounted for 40 percent of the available elite housing in the district, IntermarkSavills wrote.

For those looking in the elite range, buying a place in Presnensky is considered good value versus areas in the Golden Mile. Current growth in prices is around 0.8 percent per month, Garcia said, explaining that this roughly follows greater market trends. Existing high-end apartments in Presnensky hover around the $10,000 to $12,000 mark per square meter, but have been known to go for up to $15,000, she added.

Red No Longer, Can Presnya Stay Green?

Presnensky, known too as Presnya, used to be something of a green area of town. The high density of factories built there in the later Imperial era constituted the first signs of ecological threat and soon it was submerged as a central region in the megapolis that has become the Moscow urban jungle.

“There has been a lot of building even in the last 20 years,” Karmaleyeva said, “and the ecological side of the area has definitely suffered as a result. Two particular points of contention with locals spring to mind: a garage on Klimashkina Ulitsa that is really threatening nearby foundations and a half-destroyed facade on Malaya Gruzinskaya Ulitsa. You see intermittent demonstrations there.”

Despite such ongoing demolition, some modern luxury constructions in Presnya have worn well and proven very popular. For instance, Agalarov House, built over 10 years ago, is an 11,000 square-meter block of 34 flats still considered one of the most sought-after and high-quality residences in Moscow, Garcia said. “It is one of the first ‘clubhouses’ in Moscow, which today maintains its good reputation and is among the most expensive housing complexes in the city,” she explained.

The building, which has a long waiting list for buyers, is named after the head of development firm Crocus Group, Agas Agalarov, a prominent Azeri businessman. He is a well-known face in Moscow real estate and also used to mixing with the political elite: Agalarov’s son, Emin, is married to the daughter of Azerbaijan’s president, while it is said that a number of residents of Agalarov House are members of government, working in the nearby White House government building.

Keeping Busy

Presnya’s proximity to the heart of Moscow and the number of places of interest both within and nearby the area make it well-loved by its residents.

Vitalij Farafonov, a financial director who has lived near Barrikadnaya metro station for two years, said that beyond finding it an affordable part of the city to live in, he has a great personal attachment to the area and loves walking around, such as to the Roman Catholic church on Malaya Gruzinskaya Ulitsa — or to buy a cheburek near the station.

Traditionally, one of the most popular places in Presnya has been the zoo on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Ulitsa, founded in 1864. “This is what people most affectionately associate with Presnya,” explained Valentina Moiseyeva, sales director at Four Squares realtor in Moscow. “And for romanticism, people go to nearby Patriarch’s Ponds,” she added.

In summer the Presnya district has enough trees to keep it at least feeling green and in winter it is a good place to skate, adding to its popularity and attracting new residents: The district in fact now accounts for 10 percent of all apartments in Moscow’s Central Administrative Division, Garcia said.

This popularity is a mixed blessing; although it is hard to get bored in the lively Presnya district, it can be equally hard to find enough room for one’s car. “There are definitely more cafes and restaurants these days, which is good of course, but traffic is worse — there is a lot of difficulty parking now in the area,” Karmaleyeva explained.