In September 2015, the Irkutsk House of Writers will undergo major restoration. The Brevnov estate will have its facade restored, structures and foundation reinforced, roof, utilities and security systems updated. Historical details will be preserved, and the House of Writers will move to the regional library during the work.

The building housing the Irkutsk House of Writers is scheduled for restoration in September 2015. During the restoration of the federal heritage monument “Brevnov Estate,” the facade will be restored, its load-bearing structures will be reinforced, the foundation and log structure will be strengthened, and the roof truss system and roofing will be replaced. In addition, all utility systems will be replaced, work will be carried out to adapt the facility to modern fire safety and seismic standards, and it will be equipped with new technological equipment.
A full range of repair and restoration work is planned, along with adapting the facility for modern use. The upcoming work is complicated by the fact that the first floor of the building is made of brick, while the second is wooden. In addition to restoring the building’s exterior appearance, the interior will be modernized while preserving all historical elements: the unique inlaid parquet made from four types of wood in an individual pattern for each room, the stucco ceiling decor, and the restoration of the ceiling painting that was discovered during the building survey. Also, the gallery that once ran along one side of the building and was lost will be restored.
The restoration project will test the latest technology developed by Irkutsk designers: a ventilated facade with stone cladding will be created, which will make it possible not to dismantle the building during the work. All decorative elements — sculptural figures in the form of women’s heads and lions on the facade wall, window decor — will be labeled and stored, and after the restoration is completed all items will be returned to their places. The number of offices and the purpose of the rooms will not change and will remain as they are now. The project provides for office spaces, a conference hall for 36 seats, and an auditorium for 45 seats.
As reported by the press service of the Government of the Irkutsk Region, comprehensive scientific studies of the building have now been completed, on the basis of which the necessary scientific and design documentation has been developed. The work is being overseen by the Service for the Protection of Cultural Heritage Sites of the Irkutsk Region. The completion date under the contract is September 2017. 56 million rubles have been allocated from the regional budget for the restoration of the Writers’ House building. “This is one of the few sites for which the design documentation was prepared immediately and in full. The project has passed all types of expert review, including receiving a positive conclusion from the Federal State Institution ‘Glavgosexpertiza of Russia’ in Krasnoyarsk,” said Acting Minister of Culture and Archives of the region Vitaly Baryshnikov.
As stated on the website of the Irkutsk House of Writers, during the work the institution’s staff will move to the building of the regional M. Molchanov-Sibirsky Library. “All events, including ‘The Radiance of Russia,’ scheduled by the OGAU IDL for 2015, will take place according to plan; however, for the period from August 21 to September 21 all events are canceled due to the need to carry out the move,” the statement says.
The Irkutsk Writers’ Organization was founded in 1931, and has been located in the House with Lions at 40 Stepan Razin Street since 1978. The former mansion of the Brevnov merchants was named after the Siberian writer Pyotr Polikarpovich Petrov. Over the years of its existence, the organization has included writers now known throughout the world: A. Vampilov, V. Rasputin, M. Sergeev, G. Mashkin.