Tyopliye Ryadi

A row of buildings designed by the architect Alexander Nikitin and known as Tyopliye Ryadi  (“warm rows”) became the capital’s first heated and lit shopping arcade when it was constructed in 1865. The trading rows incorporated the basements of pre-existing 18th-century buildings, as well as the church of St. Elijah the Prophet, which was rebuilt to fit into the ensemble.  

In the Soviet era, Tyopliye Ryadi housed various government offices.  They were a recognized, protected landmark in central Moscow’s Kitay-Gorod region.

In 1996, the city decided to turn Tyopliye Ryadi into a multi-level garage. Although the project, supervised by Sberbank, was never finished, the main building of Tyopliye Ryadi, along with more than half of its other structures, was demolished.