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Building of the Military Governor

Building of the Military Governor in Fergana

During the era when Fergana was known as New Margilan, the building of the military governor ranked among the most notable city structures. Today, as then, this place is considered the city center. The building is surrounded by a metal lattice fence, situated a bit away from the sidewalk. Adjacent to the building is an impressive park with numerous alleys, beautiful trees, plants, flowers, a pond, and unique gates at the entrance. Currently, it is the city park called “Central,” and the former building of the military governor is allocated for use by the regional drama theater.

Construction History

The initiator of the construction was M.D. Skobelev, who held the position of the military governor of the Fergana region, but ironically, he was dismissed from the post before the start of the construction works. Construction began in 1879, but it was only completed 20 years later, in 1899. According to documentary evidence, the project author was I.A. Lekhanov, an experienced and talented architect of that time. In 1878, he was appointed as the regional engineer of the Fergana region, and under his careful guidance, the new city was built until 1897. Lekhanov was known not only for constructions in Fergana; he was also the architect of several other significant architectural objects in the capital of Uzbekistan, including the Control Chamber building.

Lekhanov’s stylistic features were distinctive, and despite his administrative position in Fergana, he actively participated in planning future residential and non-residential buildings. It is evident that for this reason, the city exhibits a harmonious stylistic unity among the constructions of that era.

Before the building was repurposed for the Uzbek-Russian theater’s needs in the 1930s, it was where most administrative matters were resolved, despite the presence of a regional administration building in Fergana. In the 1990s, the theater split, and the Russian troupe moved to the cultural center on the outskirts of Fergana. Meanwhile, the building of the military governor is still used by the Uzbek drama theater.

The building of the military governor, August 1960.
The building of the military governor, August 1960.

Architecture of the Building

The exterior of the building has survived almost unchanged to this day, much like it was at the end of construction. The building’s color has been the only change. It has two floors: the first housed offices, reception rooms, and ceremonial halls, while the second floor had living quarters. The structure has a symmetrical composition and two ceremonial entrances on either side of the main building. The right entrance led to rooms for business or personal meetings, housing offices, a small cafeteria with a buffet, a living room, and several other rooms. In the left part of the building of the military governor were large ceremonial rooms intended for festive receptions and official meetings: an impressive banquet hall with its dining room and orchestra, a billiard room, a library with many books, and a small winter garden. All these spaces were connected by an elongated lobby. Inside, one could easily move from the left side to the right and back, and the rooms behind the main facade windows were linked into a single ceremonial enfilade. The construction of the military governor’s building took two decades because, at that time, the building was considered the most significant among others of a similar purpose not only in Fergana but throughout Turkestan.

The architecture of the building’s facade deserves special mention. It is literally adorned with various and slightly mismatched forms and elements. However, the building’s elegance, vividness, and a certain neatness are achieved through unity in color decisions and the quality execution of all facade details. The use of a stilted white arcade shape, repeated by the windows on the second floor, emphasizes the building’s volume in the central part. Such a technique is not often encountered in the architecture of the 19th century; presumably, it was Lekhanov’s authorial attempt to combine the characteristic features of the Russian style with the specifics of local architecture.

For contemporary observers, the building of the military governor represents an example of the so-called “first wave” of Russian architecture in Turkestan, and it is challenging to pass by without stopping.

Address: Al-Fergani Street, Fergana

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