Gustav List
Germany- Biography of Gustav List
- Entrepreneurship in Moscow
- Expansion and Success
- Diversified Production
- Later Years and Legacy
Biography of Gustav List
Gustav List was a German-born Moscow entrepreneur and the founder of the domestic firefighting equipment production. He was born in Berlin and studied industrial engineering in America. In 1856, he moved to Russia and worked as a mechanic at a sugar factory in Voronezh. It was there that he built his first mechanical fire pump.
Entrepreneurship in Moscow
In 1863, List relocated to Moscow and temporarily acquired a mansion on Sofiyskaya Embankment, opposite the Kremlin. He converted the auxiliary buildings into mechanical workshops without altering the main estate. Initially, the workshop employed only 13 workers. However, it was soon destroyed by a fire and had to be rebuilt as a large-scale factory.
Expansion and Success
By 1870, List had constructed a blacksmith's shop and a steam engine building on the premises. He officially obtained ownership of the land in 1872. In 1876, the workforce at List's factory had grown to 150 employees. List acquired neighboring estates, and by the 1880s, his factory occupied a whole city block up to Bolotnaya Square. In 1897, the company transformed into a joint-stock enterprise, overseeing iron foundries, mechanical and machine-building plants. List appointed his sons, Nikolai and Alexander, to the management board.
Diversified Production
List's enterprises had a wide range of products, including water supply equipment, fire hydrants, scales, and weights. He was granted the right to mark his products with the state coat of arms. During World War I, the factory continued to operate and produced ammunition. In 1916, new reinforced concrete buildings were constructed for this purpose. After nationalization, the factory was known as "Plant No. 5", "Hydrofilter", and "Red Torch", specializing in manufacturing firefighting equipment. List took great pride in his ability to cast non-ferrous metals.
Later Years and Legacy
In the pre-war years, the factory began producing industrial refrigerators. Since 1965, it has been known as the Experimental Plant of VNIIXolodmash. The only reminders of its past are the statues of a blacksmith and a foundry worker at the entrance gates, as well as a fire bell. In 1897-1898, List constructed a state-of-the-art machine-building plant behind Butyrskaya Zastava according to the design of architect N.D. Strukov (later known as the "Borets" compressor plant from 1922 onwards). In the same year, List purchased a house in Glazovskiy Pereulok, designed by architect L.N. Kekushev and adorned with artwork by William Walcot. He resided in this house until the end of his life.
