Would Have Been Wednesday – Arbat Centre

Its Back in the U.S.S.R. this week for the Epstein Would Have Been Wednesday as we remember our preliminary design for the Arbat Centre, a proposed Moscow-based mixed-use complex consisting of two office buildings set above a two-story retail complex. This project was envisioned as an eight-story office block and a mid-rise 'tower' of 16 stories, totaling approximately 39,500 square meters (425,00 square feet) of Class A commercial office space. There was also two levels of retail which were organized around a glazed urban galleria and occupied 13,000 square meters (140,000 square feet) as well as two underground parking levels provide space for 160 vehicles.

Arbat Centre was to designed to be located within the Boulevard Ring of Moscows old City Center, with frontage on the historic shopping street of Old Arbat at the intersection of Gogolevsky Boulevard. This strategic site was chosen because it was within walking distance of the Kremlin and represented a gateway for the Arbat Street retail promenade.

Unfortunately the Arbat Centre was not to be as the developers for the project ran into a combination of financing and zoning approval issues. In the ensuing years a development of similar size was constructed on our site and can be viewed by googling Gogolevsky Blvd/Arbat intersection. Its the building with a Subway sandwich shop.