Magadan's first hotel eased 1930s housing crises before fading into history
On April 22, 1933, the Kolyma Truth newspaper reported on the construction of Magadan's first single-story hotel, located—on today's map—behind buildings No. 20 and 22 on Lenin Prospect. A second floor was later added to the structure. The hotel served the city for nearly 60 years before its demolition in the 1990s, our website reports.
The blog project Phantom Kolyma notes that housing shortages in the region were severe at the time. Even geologists returning from expeditions deep in the Kolyma wilderness often found no lodging in Magadan, forcing them to pitch their field tents along the banks of the Magadanka River.
"In the autumn of 1933," recalled the renowned geologist Boris Vronsky, "I was returning with my field team to the coast before heading off on leave. In early October, we reached Elechan, which by then had grown into a fairly large settlement. Our arrival coincided with the first vehicle to make it through the unfinished 'auto trail'—driven by Chernov, who then got us to Magadan in just 12 or 13 hours. But there was nowhere to stay. We had no choice but to camp in our field tents on the Magadanka's shore."
Construction of the hotel began in 1932, and by 1933, it was already operational. The building remained single-story for only a short time—less than a decade later, a second floor was added.
