Yekaterinburg City Administration, Yekaterinburg

The Yekaterinburg City Administration building shows several stages of the city’s growth rather than one fixed style. The site first held a Merchant Hall in the 19th century and was later adapted for city authorities in the early Soviet period. Over time, it expanded into a large civic building, combining its commercial past with Soviet additions and postwar changes. These layers clearly show how political needs shaped the city’s main public space.

The building took on its present form during a major reconstruction between 1944 and the early 1950s. The earlier constructivist structure was rebuilt in the Stalinist Neoclassical style, with an emphasis on scale and symmetry. It still serves as the city’s main administrative building and is often seen as a visual symbol of Yekaterinburg as the “Capital of the Urals.”

A key feature of the complex is the central clock tower, completed in 1954 and designed by Moisei Reisher. It rises above the main building and is marked by large clock faces and a slim spire with a red Soviet star. The tower changed the city skyline and made the building an easy landmark in the civic center. Although the building is still used for city administration, its exterior continues to reflect the ideas of authority and order typical of the postwar Soviet period.