Churches and more. What was built on the sites of well-known abandoned places in Nizhny Novgorod — photos

      Photos have emerged of structures built on the sites of abandoned buildings in Nizhny Novgorod

      In 2018 the regional ministry of property carried out an inventory of abandoned properties in Nizhny Novgorod. NewsNN found out what has appeared on those sites seven years later.

      A church instead of a police station

      One of the abandoned properties at the time was located in the Leninsky District. For a long time a dilapidated two-story building stood on Samochkina Street — it used to house a police station, but when it moved out the building was occupied by homeless people.

      Former police station on Samochkina St. in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: Yandex.Maps

      After the inventory in spring 2018 it was decided to transfer this property free of charge to the Nizhny Novgorod diocese. A new stone church in honor of the holy martyr Alexius Neidgardt has appeared on the site of the abandoned building.

      "Finally they removed that terrible building here and put the territory in order. It's good that they built a church. I come here every day now. It's pleasing to the eye and the ear — when the bells ring every day," a local resident named Tamara said.

      Church in honor of the holy martyr Alexius Neidgardt in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: newsnn.ru

      A church instead of a café

      For many years the appearance of one of Nizhny Novgorod’s main historic streets was spoiled by a dangerous building. Once a café was located at the intersection of Rozhdestvenskaya and Vakhitov Lane, but over time the owner abandoned the building. The regional ministry of property decided to requisition it — the building and the plot were transferred to the Nizhny Novgorod diocese.

      Former café on Rozhdestvenskaya St. in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: Yandex.Maps

      A church named for the Holy Life-Giving Trinity was built on the site of the demolished building. An interesting fact: it originally stood there. The first mentions of the Trinity Church date back to 1621. In Soviet times it was demolished, leaving only a fragment of a wall. The object was restored based on photographs.

      Now interior finishing is underway in the church, so it is not yet operational. For Nizhny Novgorod the church will be unique, as all the images inside will be mosaics.

      Trinity Church on Rozhdestvenskaya St. in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: newsnn.ru

      An Orthodox kindergarten instead of a former school

      Another building was transferred free of charge to the diocese. This is a former school in the Avtozavodsky District of Nizhny Novgorod. Now an Orthodox kindergarten is located at 25a Shalyapin Street.

      Orthodox kindergarten on Shalyapin St. in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: Roman Onoshin. 2GIS

      A residential complex instead of the "House of the Chekist"

      The "House of the Chekist" was one of the most famous abandoned buildings in Nizhny Novgorod. The building was built as a communal house in 1932. Since 1998 it had been in an unsatisfactory condition.

      The appearance of the "House of the Chekist" in Nizhny Novgorod will be preserved. Photo: Yandex.Maps

      Now the house itself is already gone; construction equipment is working behind the fence. As NewsNN was told by the regional ministry of property, the strengthening of the pit walls and the future foundation is now underway. The investor is LLC "SZ 'Vorobyovka 16'". It intends to preserve the historical heritage of the building.

      "According to the building inspection, defects and damages were found in the main part of the structure that prevent further use. From the original materials the load-bearing walls of the semicircular bay facing Malaya Pokrovskaya Street will be preserved. Otherwise, the original appearance of the building will be recreated using new materials," the Ministry of Property and Land Relations of the Nizhny Novgorod Region added.

      Work is planned to be completed by the end of 2027. Most of the former "House of the Chekist" will be occupied by housing.

      The "House of the Chekist" was demolished in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: newsnn.ru

      Housing with public spaces instead of the Lenin Palace of Culture

      Another well-known abandoned building in Nizhny Novgorod is the Palace of Culture named after Lenin. The building was constructed for the 10th anniversary of the October Revolution. The House of Culture was known for the "Gorky Christmas trees." It also housed a library, children's clubs, and a cinema. But they are no longer operating — the building has been vacant since 2008.

      The Lenin Palace of Culture in Nizhny Novgorod has been vacant since 2008. Photo: Ilya Starkov. Yandex.Maps

      Now the dilapidated Lenin Palace of Culture stands behind a fence. But a restoration project has already been developed that envisions preserving the building’s exterior appearance. It is planned that about 80% will be housing and 20% public spaces. They will be located on the side of the main façade. But to begin reconstruction it is necessary to introduce changes to federal legislation.

      "If the State Duma of the Russian Federation supports the bill of our regional legislative assembly, this will make it possible to attract funds from citizen co-investors and legal-entity co-investors for the reconstruction of apartment buildings that have the status of objects of cultural heritage (OKN)," Sergey Barinov, Minister of Property and Land Relations of the Nizhny Novgorod Region, told NewsNN.

      This is how the Lenin Palace of Culture in Nizhny Novgorod looks now. Photo: newsnn.ru

      A residential complex instead of the vocational school

      On Komsomolskaya Street in Nizhny Novgorod the building of the former vocational school had been in disrepair since 2008. Commercial activity was illegally carried out on the territory — there was a car park.

      Former vocational school on Komsomolskaya St. in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: Yandex.Maps

      Now a residential complex called "TRIO" is being built on the site where the abandoned property once stood.

      Project of the "TRIO" residential complex in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: ЖК "TRIO"

      A restaurant instead of the Chardymov House

      The Chardymov House (a striking example of wooden modernism with elements of Russian folk style) on Sennaya in Nizhny Novgorod is currently being restored after a fire that occurred in 2022.

      Chardymov House in Nizhny Novgorod burned in 2022. Photo: Yandex.Maps

      "The roofing pie of the Chardymov House is complete, window openings are being filled. We expect the completion of facade works and the removal of scaffolding in October, and by the end of 2025–the beginning of 2026 — the fully restored building connected to the valuable Samgin House," Barinov reported.

      It is expected that a fast-food restaurant will open in the restored building.

      Chardymov House in Nizhny Novgorod is being restored as part of a complex with the Samgin House. Photo: newsnn.ru

      A public space instead of a factory

      On the territory of Krasnaya Sloboda in Nizhny Novgorod there used to be the Kolchin-Kurbatov factory. Later the buildings were used in violation of regulations, so the owner was ordered to restore the premises and return them to functionality.

      There used to be the Kolchin-Kurbatov factory on this territory. Photo: Yandex.Maps

      Now part of the complex has been restored. It now houses a public space where you can grab a bite — either inside or on the open veranda.

      Part of the complex in Krasnaya Sloboda in Nizhny Novgorod has been restored. Photo: newsnn.ru

      Territory behind a fence

      Due to their hazardous conditions the following were also demolished in Nizhny Novgorod: the former Palace of Culture on Perekopskaya St., the former school on Nevzorovykh St., and the former kindergarten on Zvezdinka St. In addition, work is being carried out on the territory of the former school on Shkolnaya St. All of them are still behind fences.

      There used to be a kindergarten on Zvezdinka in Nizhny Novgorod. Photo: newsnn.ru

      "Work on abandoned properties is carried out on an ongoing basis. For the 800th anniversary of Nizhny Novgorod it was extremely important to 'pull out the rotten teeth' — old, ugly, abandoned houses that have no value. This was not only a matter of the city's aesthetic perception, but also a matter of basic safety. The task regarding ordinary abandoned buildings, of course, remains. At the same time, the focus now is on landmarks of the city and long-abandoned architectural monuments that we are obliged to restore. These include the 'House of the Chekist,' the Lenin Palace of Culture, and the Chardymov House in Nizhny Novgorod," Barinov added.

      Natalya Golova

      More news about the event:

      Residents of Nizhny Novgorod complained about glitches with transport on Yandex Maps

      Incorrect display of buses may be related to network malfunctions. 18:47 08.09.2025 Newsroom24.Ru - Nizhny Novgorod

      A new parking app started working on September 8

      The website and mobile app are operating normally

      From September 8 it is possible to pay for parking using the website www.parkovkinn.ru and the Ruparking mobile app. 18:05 08.09.2025 Gazeta Den Goroda. Nizhny Novgorod - Nizhny Novgorod

      Residents of Nizhny Novgorod complained about incorrect display of transport on online maps

      Reasons for the sudden disappearance of public transport from "smart" stop displays and in online map apps were named for Nizhny Novgorod residents. 18:04 08.09.2025 vGorodeN.Ru - Nizhny Novgorod

      A new parking app for Nizhny Novgorod started working on September 8

      Photo: press service of the Nizhny Novgorod mayor’s office

      The new parking app (Ruparking) started working in Nizhny Novgorod on September 8, the mayor’s press service reported. 17:48 08.09.2025 NIA Nizhny Novgorod - Nizhny Novgorod

      The new parking app started working in Nizhny Novgorod from September 8

      Photo: administration of Nizhny Novgorod

      A new app for paying for parking (Ruparking) was launched in Nizhny Novgorod. 17:35 08.09.2025 Setevoe izdanie Zhivem v Nizhny - Nizhny Novgorod

      Churches and more. What was built on the sites of well-known Nizhny Novgorod abandoned buildings — photos

      Photos have appeared of structures built on the sites of abandoned buildings in Nizhny Novgorod. In 2018 the regional ministry of property conducted an inventory of abandoned properties in Nizhny Novgorod. 16:44 08.09.2025 NewsNN.Ru - Nizhny Novgorod

      News from neighboring regions on the topic:

      A burnt lunch led to a fire in a Voronezh residential complex

      Fire trucks responded to a house in the Voronezh residential complex "Sovremennik"

      Photo: Elena Fedyasheva

      Photo: from the KP archive. 16:06 08.09.2025 Komsomolskaya Pravda - Voronezh