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St. Petersburg Heritage Watchdog Calls Police Over Alleged Illegal Demolition of Former VNIIB Building

Heritage officials say the property is treated as culturally significant during a fresh registry review, blocking demolition.

Overview

  • On January 8 the city’s heritage committee (KGIOP) filed a complaint with Vyborgsky district police to halt what it described as an unauthorized teardown and issued warnings to the owner and managing company.
  • KGIOP says a new application to list the site was filed on December 22 and that, during the review period, the building is treated as having cultural-historic attributes and cannot be demolished.
  • Protests took place at the site on January 8, with media reporting multiple detentions as excavators arrived and crowd-control contractors appeared.
  • Authorities and reports state the property is privately owned and the developer holds a valid permit to construct a residential building, described as 13 stories, through 2027.
  • Public lawsuits by residents challenging the redevelopment and the non-listing decision are ongoing, even as a prior court-ordered expert review found insufficient heritage value.