Originally an urban palace?

[Gavin.O]

First, I want to say this is an excellent site, and thanks to the people behind it.

I especially enjoyed seeing some of the architect's original drawings for the palace, showing how the design evolved over time.

It was stated that the palace was originally planned to be in St. Petersburg itself, and it was significantly scaled down and simplified when the intended site was moved out of the city.

My question is this: Where in St. Petersburg would the palace have been built? If that information has not been preserved by history, can someone make an educated guess?

Thanks again for an excellent site.

--Gavin.

[Gavin.O]

In case no one knows what I'm taking about, I'm refering to this paragraph:

"The first designs, which were intended for an urban environment, clearly show a more ornate facade and a complex interior plan. At some point Catherine decided to move the project to Tsarskoe Selo and simplify the plan."

And I'm wondering if Catherine had a specific "urban" site in mind. Surely she did, but do we know where it was?

--Gavin.

[londo954]

Thats an interesting Question. I have wondered that myself. At the time when the Palace was built there was surely plenty of room. Rememeber that teh Taurida Palace was in the country. There was little development in that area save the Smolny complex. A reasonable quess would be Catherine would want the Palace near her and close to the city. She intended the Palace to be fit for a Tsar since she hoped Alexander would rule in place of her son.