‘Noviy Grad (the local developer) illegally pulled down an important historic building (a merchant’s house at 72 Khokhryakov St.) a while ago and put up a multi-storey apartment building on the site. The authorities are now thinking of the best way out and of where this architecturally valuable exhibit should be restored. One obviously cannot use the original site since the developer is still constructing the new building using natural persons’ investments,’ reports Konstantin Bruner of Affordable Housing NGO.

Ural State Economic University was given a land allotment near the site by the mayor as early as October 7, 1993. The land was meant for putting up a building for the university. SPEC Ltd., founded by the university representatives, was set up to facilitate the construction process. The university provided the land and was therefore supposed to get at least 7%, or 2,139.5 square meters of the dwellings built. Later on, HydroSpetsStroy (Noviy Grad’s general contractor) tried to question the university’s right to this share, as a state organization was not allowed to get involved in construction business. Yet the decision of the court made on March 22, 2006 nullifying the rights of Ural State Economic University was annulled, and the case will now have to be re-considered.