Old school building in Komi undergoing restoration with support from Avito and Tom Soyer Fest
In the picturesque village of Ipatovo, a small museum dedicated to the history of the school, the village, and its famous alumni is in the works. This project is part of a larger joint initiative by Avito Services and the charitable foundation "Tom Sawyer Fest - Heritage," which aims to restore historical buildings in 11 cities across Russia.
The school in Ipatovo, where cultural figures Anastasia Arsenievna Shukhtomova and Alexander Mikhailovich Matveyev once studied, operated until the late 1970s. Closed due to a low number of students, the school's stoves and foundation are made of church bricks from the 1875-built Church of Zosima and Savvaty Solovetsky in Ipatovo, adding to its historical significance.
Avito Services, in collaboration with the Tom Sawyer Fest community, will carry out comprehensive restoration work on the 20th-century rural school building, which spans an area of 485 square meters. The craftsmen will replace the rotted logs of the log frame and restore the foundation.
The project in Ipatovo is remarkably large for such a small village, with large classrooms and huge entrance doors. Some rooms in the school will be turned into a guest house, while others will be decorated as a traditional Russian 'izba' with a Russian stove, hosting ethnographic folklore programs.
All repair work will be fully funded by Avito, with the project page welcoming anyone interested to offer their help as a volunteer or professional craftsman. The 'Tom Sawyer Fest' community can be joined by anyone interested in volunteering or contributing as a professional on the social network VKontakte.
The old school building in Syktyvdin District was built in 1906 and initially served as a zemstvo school, then a seven-year school. In 2022, volunteers from 'Tom Sawyer Fest' began restoring the school, cleaning rooms, removing chimneys, replacing the roof, and restoring windows and doors. Now, lime, maple, oak, and jasmine trees have been planted around it, along with wooden carved sculptures and art objects made from natural materials, transforming it into a creative retreat.
Svetlana Filimonova, head of the "Large Repairs and Construction" business unit at Avito Services, stated that the project is about coming together to make cities better and preserving cultural heritage. The current status of the joint restoration project is active and underway as of August 2025.
In addition to Ipatovo, the project includes repair work on significant architectural objects in Krasnodar, Nizhny Novgorod, Rostov-on-Don, Samara, Tver, Kaluga, Chelyabinsk, Tobolsk, Klukvas (Kaluga region), Totma (Vologda region), and other locations. This initiative reflects a commitment by Avito and the foundation to invest in architectural heritage preservation and to engage local talents and communities in improving urban environments together.
[1] Source: Avito Services press release, August 2025.
- The Avito Services and Tom Sawyer Fest - Heritage joint initiative is extending to sustainable living, aspiring to transform the renovated Ipatovo school into a lifestyle and home-and-garden education center, promoting eco-friendly practices and cultural preservation.
- In line with personal growth and education-and-self-development principles, the renovated Ipatovo school will host workshops, seminars, and exhibitions on traditional Russian lifestyle, sustainable living, folk arts, and the region's history.
- With the completion of the Ipatovo school restoration, the village will not only preserve its heritage but also become a hub for community engagement and lifestyle enrichment, fostering a unique blend of cultural preservation and modern learning opportunities.
