World's Largest Building #603a - 1937 Mint Never-Hinged Sheet

Issued for the First Congress of Soviet Architects, this imperforate sheet, Russia's second commemorative sheet, pictures the massive Palace of the Soviets that was never built. It would have been taller than the Empire State Building and its grand hall would have seated 21,000 people.  While construction did start at the site of a demolished church, the project stalled during World War II and it was demolished, ending Stalin's dream of a gigantic symbol of Soviet power. (Russia #603a)