The architecture of passenger buildings of the North-Ussuri Railway

The article is part of a series of works dedicated to the architectural heritage of the Trans-Siberian Railway in the Khabarovsk Krai, focusing on one of its least studied aspects – the first passenger buildings of the Ussuri Railway stations, constructed in the late 19th century and not surviving to this day. The object of the study is the lost station buildings that occupied a key place in the structure of station complexes. These buildings could be created either according to individual or standard designs, serving functions exclusively aimed at passenger service, or combining them with the functions of residential and administrative premises. The subject of the research is the analysis of architectural and planning solutions of passenger buildings at stations of various classes along the historical section of the North Ussuri Railway from Khabarovsk to Bikino. The article examines the features of the composition, layouts, and facade designs of these structures, allowing for a refinement of the understanding of architectural practices in railway construction at the end of the 19th century in the region. The materials presented were obtained through the author's archival research conducted in 2024–2025. A comprehensive approach is employed in the study, which combines architectural analysis, historical, and comparative methods. For the first time, a systematic study of the architectural solutions of the first passenger buildings of the Ussuri Railway in the Khabarovsk–Bikino section is conducted. This includes buildings at the stations of Verino, Kruglikovo, and other small stations. The work introduces previously unpublished archival materials into academic circulation that have not been used in studies of the architecture of the Trans-Siberian Railway. Characteristic features of the standard and individual projects of passenger buildings are defined for the first time. Common principles of their planning and facade solutions are revealed depending on the class of the station. It is demonstrated how these features reflected functional requirements and local construction conditions in the Far East. The research expands the understanding of the formation of the architectural environment of the historical section of the North Ussuri Railway and clarifies the typology of railway buildings from this pre-revolutionary period.