Palace of the Soviets Built

And, something I noticed about the Volkshalle...

Look at this picture, the Eagle in the center's shadow makes it look like Hitler's face.

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oooo that IS creepy.

Thats a pretty cool detail.

I can see the "American palace" having a giant obelisk involved somehow.

Of course we can also go crazy.

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Where's that picture from? Reminds me of an old drawing I made like in the 3rd Grade...had to draw a picture of the future and I was kinda on a kick about Washington DC at the time. :p

That's either meglomania gone mad, or a really freaky coincidence.
I REALLY hope it's not coincidence....because that would be WAY to freaky.

If only we had an Architectural Cold War.... :(

*sigh* yeah it really would have been cool. Love massive buildings like the ones suggested here.
 
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Although I first heard about it in Fight and be Right, it was a semi-serious proposal. I don't know what to make of it myself.
Still, quite fitting for this thread.

I've been trying to look up information on that building but haven't been able to find anything. Course it doesn't help that I'm not sure what its name is
 
Has anyone thought of architectural details of the 'American Palace'? How would it get built? How much would it cost?

I might be willing to do some 3D modeling if we can sort out some details.
 
Yeah, here it is.


Similar to a wedding cake, it follows an ancient Greco-Roman design.

It is 7 major levels going upwards, each one smaller as it gets higher. That goes up to about 2,200 feet. A massive dome, with a large epic masterpiece depicting American History on the interior of the dome. On top of the dome, which goes up to 2,800 feet, a 200 foot statue of George Washington stands, made out of solid gold (It was replaced by solid steel in 1995).

The inside is a massive rotunda, holding the massive House and Senate Chamber, which goes all the way up to the massive dome.

Just outside of the American Palace is a massive pyramid like structure, inside being the remains of all Presidents so far. Those bodies that can be preserved are preserved for display.

American Square, the massive square outside of the building hosts the 'Eternal Victory Arch', a massive triumphal Arch dedicated to all American victories, past, present, and future. The former Capitol Building sits on the opposite side of the American Square, serving as a museum of American History.

A massive Metro Station, based on the Bath House of Caracalla, sits next to the former Capitol Building, serving as a central hub of transportation for most Metro Travel in the North East and South.

At the mouth of the Potomac, a massive statue of George Washington is placed, looking South, while a massive statue of Abraham Lincoln faces North, each statue standing at 900 feet.
 
Oh, timeline idea of a really messed up timeline. Rather than the Cold War consisting of the Space Race, it consists of the Architectural Cold War, which continues to this day. A little ASB, but somewhat funny.


1941 Germany invades the Soviet Union. As the Germans reach Moscow, construction stops and supplies are diverted to war effort.

1944 With the war almost over, Stalin orders the project continued to provide even more morale. The first levels of construction begins as thousands of workers arrive in Moscow. In an effort to prove to Stalin that the Americans and British support the Soviet still in the war, they send architects to help out.

1945 The war is over, and construction continues. The Americans and British, now seeing the Soviets as the enemy, pull out their architects. Many workers who were formerly soldiers in the Red Army begin working on the project. Women are also allowed to work on the project to allow for major propaganda advantages.

1947 The Renovation of Red Square begins, and the Kremlin is demolished to make way for a new Kremlin. Lenin's body is moved to a new location until a new mausoleum can be completed.

1949 The project is more than half way completed, and the Renovation of Red Square is complete. The new Kremlin is still under construction.

1951 The new Kremlin is completed, and the Palace of the Soviets is nearing completion. Stalin makes one final addition to the Palace though, and orders that the statue of Lenin be covered in gold.

1953 Stalin had a stroke, but due to less stress over the years, and happiness over the Palace being almost completed, barely lives. While his power is decreased significantly, he is still considered a power to be reckoned with.

1955 On the 10th Anniversary of World War II's victory, the Palace of the Soviets is opened to the public. A massive military parade consisting of over 50,000 men in the largest military parade in history takes place. It takes the title as the largest building in the world.

1957 Josef Stalin dies. De-Stalinization begins. While the Palace of the Soviets is considered Stalinist, it is kept standing, as it is still extremely important to the minds of the Soviet people. Lenin's body is moved to a new mausoleum in the Palace of the Soviets.

1960 The 'Architecture Cold War' begins, as the Americans want to reclaim the title of the tallest building in the world. Plans for a new set of buildings in Lower Manhattan begins. President Kennedy in private suggests re building the US Capitol Building to be more massive than the Palace of the Soviets.

1962 President Kennedy, while in Dallas to announce the new 'Capitol Building', is shot at, but lives. Construction begins of the new 'Capitol Building', which has been nicknamed the 'American Palace'. The Washington Mall is for the most part demolished, as well as much of Central Washington D.C... The US Government re locates temporarily to New York City.

1964 Construction begins on the new structure in Washington D.C... The old Capitol Building and the White House both remain intact. The White House will remain as the President's home, and the Capitol Building will be kept as a museum to American History. Kennedy win Re-Election.

1966 Queen Elizabeth II and the UK Parliament begin to plan for its own project to make a massive Parliament building. The French Government also begins its own plan to enter the Cold War of Architecture.

1969 The 'American Palace' is complete, and is over 200 feet taller than the Palace of the Soviets. The British and French begin work on their respective projects. While both will be smaller than the Palace of the Soviets and the American Palace, they will still be very large. Italy begins construction of its own project, and enters the Architectural Cold War, planning a building larger than the American Palace.

1974 A fire damages the Palace of the Soviets on its upper levels. While the damage is small, it causes a dip in morale for the Soviet people. The 'Parliamentary Palace' in London is completed.

1976 The People's Republic of China orders their own 'People's Palace' to be built in Beijing. It will be the a little taller than the Palace of the Soviets. Construction on the 'De Gaulle Palace' is completed. The 'Italian Palace' is halted after a massive accident, killing 250 people.

1981 Repairs are done to the Palace of the Soviets. The 'People's Palace' in Beijing is completed, topped with a large statue of Mao Zedong. The Romanian Government orders the start of a 'Palace Project' in Bucharest, and is started immediately.

1985 The 'Italian Palace' is completed, but is reduced in size due to safety concerns. Mikhail Gorbachev becomes Premier of the Soviet Union. North Korea begins to suggest buildings its own Palace in Pyongyang.

1989 The Berlin Wall falls, and Communism in Eastern Europe begins to fall as well.

1990 Germany is unified. Some German Parliament members begin to plan a 'German Palace' in Berlin to commemorate the unification. The Soviet Union begins to collapse.

1991 The Soviet Union's SSRs begin to leave the Union. Belarus remains with the Soviet Union, as well as Kazakhstan and Georgia, who fall under Soviet occupation.

1992 The construction of the Romanian Palace ceases as the Romanians overthrow their government. The Soviet Union at last falls, and the Russian Federation is formed (Consisting of Russia, Belarus, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and parts of Kazakhstan).

The Palace of the Soviets is renamed the Palace of the Russians. The massive statue of Lenin remains on top of the structure, as the money needed to take it down is not present. Boris Yeltsin proposes tearing down the entire building, but the Russian Parliament do not want to do so.

1998 Construction of the 'German Palace' begins in Berlin. Kim Jong Il orders construction of the 'Korean Palace', which begins immediately. Saddam Hussein, the dictator of Iraq, orders a palace to be built in honor of his Baath Government.

2000 The Romanian Palace begins construction once more. The Japanese order a new Palace to be built, called 'The Eternal Palace', which will be in a very Japanese design, and to be taller than the American Palace.

2001 9/11 kills 3,000 Americans as IOTL. US forces invade Afghanistan. The Palace in Iraq is nearing completion.

2003 The United States invades Iraq. The Iraq Palace is almost completed, but large parts of it are destroyed in the invasion. The German Palace is nearing completion as well.

2008 The German Palace is completed. The Palace of the Russians goes into a renovation, getting rid of the Statue of Lenin. It is instead replaced with a statue of Vladimir Putin.

2009 The Korean Palace is completed, and is topped off with a statue of Kim Jong Il. It is the second largest building in the world now.

2010 The Japanese Palace is completed, becoming the tallest building in the world. The Governments of India, Vietnam, Australia, Canada, Brazil, Israel, Spain, Poland, Ukraine, Sweden, and Ireland begin to plan their own Palaces.


Other Feats during Architectural Cold War

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Soviet Patriotic War Triumpal Arch, completed 1955

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The new Kremlin, completed 1951

Not too bad, but I think it is a TAD ASB to have the Washington Mall Demolished. Theres plenty of other places to build it in DC.
 
Maybe something along the lines of the EUR? In spite of the negative connotations it might bring up, that same sort of minimalist style did survive for quite some time in new buildings constructed in the post-war period.

Also, I imagine Nervi would be involved. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pier_Luigi_Nervi)

I was thinking more of some kind of grandiose throwback, which is why the Italian Palace would be one of the more interesting ones.
 
I was thinking more of some kind of grandiose throwback, which is why the Italian Palace would be one of the more interesting ones.

Hmmm. Start with the Golden House as a base for floorplan, incorporate a much larger version of the dome of the Pantheon, some elegant curved arcades in the Colloseum's triple order style, and some 'Mussolini's Columns' detailing succesfull campaigns in Ethiopia and Albania.

How's that for a start?
 
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