Why is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in Moscow different colors?

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs building in central Moscow is one of the legendary seven Stalinist skyscrapers. If you look closely, its spire seems to be a different color from the rest of the building. Why?

The skyscraper was built in 1953 and, initially, the project designs did not include a spire; it was only added toward the end of construction. According to some sources, this was a personal order from Stalin.

The spire had to be made of metal, because the top of the building would not support a stone structure. Incidentally, due to this,, the MFA building isn't crowned with a star like the other Stalinist skyscrapers. Nevertheless, at that time, the entire building was the same color.

However, over time, the spire began to deteriorate and fell into disrepair. So, in 2017, it had to be replaced with a new one, also made of metal, but lighter and more durable.

The color of the new spire is the historical color of the entire building.

And the lower part now looks darker, because, over the building’s life, the stone on the facade has darkened, having absorbed decades of street grime and dirt.

The facades are scheduled to be cleaned for several more years and, when the work is completed, the building will, once again, be a uniform color.