Ivan Strelbitskii was involved in the conservation and restoration of the historic Bakhrushin Theatre Museum estate, including work to the main house, façades, architectural decoration, historic joinery, entrance structures, drainage and surrounding site.
The project combined the conservation of surviving historic fabric with the repair and reinstatement of architectural elements that had been altered, damaged or lost through successive interventions and long-term exposure.

The Bakhrushin Theatre Museum developed from the private collection of Alexey Alexandrovich Bakhrushin and became one of the important cultural institutions associated with the history of theatre.

The historic estate included the main museum building and associated structures. Over time, repeated repairs, changing street levels and alterations to the surrounding site affected both the appearance and the physical condition of the historic fabric.

By the beginning of the restoration programme, the building had been affected by several generations of repair and alteration. Later cement-based coatings obscured historic surfaces, façade decoration had been damaged or lost, timber joinery showed deterioration and metal flashings had been deformed or removed.
At the same time, the gradual rise in surrounding street and ground levels had reduced the apparent height of the building plinth and contributed to problems around entrances, ground-floor windows and drainage.

Historic Fabric
Later coatings and previous repairs concealed original materials.

Decorative Elements
Stucco and façade ornament had suffered loss and deterioration.

Timber Joinery
Windows and doors included areas damaged by long-term moisture.

Ground Levels & Drainage
Raised surrounding levels contributed to moisture and access problems.

Later cement plaster was removed from areas of the façades, historic decorative elements were cleaned and conserved, and moulds were taken from surviving details to allow severely damaged or missing elements to be reproduced.
Where required, the fixing of stucco decoration to the walls was strengthened.

Historic timber windows and doors were repaired, including the replacement or localised repair of elements damaged by rot.
At the principal entrance, the relationship between the historic doorway and the raised pavement level required a specific intervention. The entrance level was lowered to accommodate the door and its architectural detailing, while drainage and pedestrian safety also had to be addressed.

Changes to the surrounding ground levels created persistent conservation problems. In parts of the courtyard, ground-floor windows had become almost level with the paving, while previous landscaping retained impermeable asphalt beneath the surface.
A pragmatic drainage strategy included removing sections of the old asphalt layer beneath lawn areas so that rain and melt water could infiltrate into the highly permeable sandy foundation soils rather than remaining against the historic buildings.

The historic boundary fence had been distorted by nearby tree growth. Damaged brick piers were repaired and lost or severely deteriorated sections of the decorative metalwork were reinstated.

Conservation work was accompanied by research into the interiors and historical development of the building.
Original decorative schemes were revealed in the principal rooms, including thistle motifs on a cherry-red background. Archival documents helped clarify the historic layout and refine earlier restoration proposals, while an old photograph provided evidence for the appearance of the lost greenhouse.

The programme brought together fabric conservation, architectural restoration, building maintenance and site-level interventions. Particular attention was given to retaining surviving original elements, reinstating lost architectural details where sufficient evidence existed, and addressing moisture and drainage problems affecting the historic estate.

Ivan is available for independent consultancy, technical review and professional collaboration on historic building conservation.