Goum

History

As of the XVIIe century, many shops were held in the " part; haute" red Place. In 1886, the tradesmen, organized in “Company of the Galleries higher of the Red Place than Moscow” decide to launch a contest of architecture to create a durable building. In 1889, the project of the architect Alexandre Pomerantsev and Vladimir Choukhov is retained. It is built in Marbre, sandstone and Granite, between 1890 and 1893. It is a trapezoidal building, covered with immense a Verrière.

The semi-cylindrical Toit, whose diameter is of 14 meters, seems light, but it is a firm construction made of more than: 50000 thimbles (approximately 819 tons) of Metal. The Illumination is provided by the enormous arched attic windows of iron and Verre, weighing with the unit 820 tons for some and containing more: 20000 squares. Grand opening takes place the December 2nd 1893 in the presence of the family members of the tsar Alexandre III. It is at the time largest Shopping mall of the world, and it will remain it a long time.

After the Revolution of 1917, the store is nationalized by the Bolcheviks, and will be used thereafter as offices at the commissions of the Five-year plan . In 1953, it finds its function of store, even if the food products are rare, and legendary tails.

It is privatisé at the end of the Soviet era. Today, the 200 shops present in Goum belong to foreign famous brands mainly of luxury or sport clothing.

There exists a store similar to Moscow competing for a long time with Goum by its size and its architecture, the TSUM for Tsentralniy Universalniy Magazin , central Magasin universal, close to the Théâtre Bolchoï.

External bonds

technical Official site
Note and photographs on the site structurae.de
Note on Vladimir Grigorievitch Choukhov, engineer Co-originator of the building
Livre in line `' The Origins off modernism in Russian structures''

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