Iosif Aizikovich Meerzon

Iosif Aizikovich Meerzon was born in 1900 in Vitebsk. He studied at the Vitebsk School of Art. After he moved to Petrograd, he entered the State Free Art Workshops. In 1921, he served on the faculty of the Academy of Arts. In the mid-1930s, Meerzon worked with A. K. Barutchev to head workshop No. 1 of the State Institute of Urban Design; under the leadership of Meerzon, many city plans were designed. In the late 1930s, he designed several residential buildings and public buildings. Meerzon joined the People’s Militia soon after it was established and died in 1941 fighting in Leningrad.