A collectible Soviet postcard from 1981 depicting the newly constructed residential districts of Odesa, featuring characteristic 16-story precast panel high-rises.
What is shown on the postcard
The image captures a panorama of the new urban development of the late 1970s and early 1980s. The scene is dominated by four free-standing 16-story tower-type residential buildings constructed from reinforced concrete panels. In the foreground, a roadway with sparse automobile traffic (a truck and Soviet-made passenger cars) is visible, alongside a pedestrian area with young green spaces. Other multi-family buildings of lower height can be seen in the background.
Historical note
During the 1970s and 1980s, Odesa expanded rapidly through the construction of large residential micro-districts, such as Tairovo and Kotovskoho. The construction of these 16-story buildings of the OBP series (room-unit prefabricated housing) allowed the city to quickly resolve housing shortages, providing thousands of citizens with modern apartments featuring improved layouts and spacious loggias for that era.
Present day
Today, these buildings continue to form the backbone of the residential housing stock in Odesa’s major sleeping districts. Over the past decades, the surrounding area has undergone significant changes: the trees have grown, road traffic has become much denser, and numerous commercial venues have opened on the ground floors and adjacent territories.
Questions and answers
- What series of buildings is depicted on the postcard? The postcard shows 16-story residential buildings of the OBP series (room-unit prefabricated or large-panel type), typical for Odesa.
- In which areas of Odesa were such buildings constructed? These high-rise residential complexes were actively built in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the Tairovo and Kotovskoho housing estates.
- What has changed in this area today? The surrounding trees have matured, the road network has been modernized, traffic density has increased, and the surrounding area has been filled with modern commercial infrastructure.
See also
The «Old Postcards» archive includes other views of Odesa from 1981.
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