RUSSIA: THE DEMOLITION OF MOSCOW'S INFAMOUS INTOURIST HOTEL BEGINS

Record ID: 779818

  • Title: RUSSIA: THE DEMOLITION OF MOSCOW'S INFAMOUS INTOURIST HOTEL BEGINS
  • Date: 7th March 2002
  • Summary: MOSCOW, RUSSIA (MARCH 07, 2002) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) VARIOUS OF WORKERS IN HOTEL; RESERVATION OFFICE MORE OF HOTEL
  • Embargoed: 22nd March 2002 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: MOSCOW, RUSSIA
  • Country: Russia
  • Topics: Economy,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky,Travel / Tourism
  • Reuters ID: LVA8TML1ZC59MRCO46Q7XPXBXHX4
  • Story Text: Demolition has begun on Moscow's Intourist Hotel, a hotbed of spying and decadence in the Cold War and an architectural blight in the centre of the Russian capital.
    Demolition crews have begun the first tasks in the gradual removal of the 22-storey metal and concrete montrosity which overlooks the Kremlin.
    Known for its cockroaches and other bugs--listening devices--the Intourist is now set to go down in history as a crossroads of the Cold War, where Soviet agents mingled with Western capitalists.
    The Intourist's hard currency stores, its lively bars and its flock of dollar-prostitutes made the hotel a sampling of the West carefully contained in the heart of the Communist empire and off-limits to most Soviet citizens.
    The 434-room Intourist Hotel opened in 1970 as the last building in a series of chrome skyscrapers in Moscow's centre.
    Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev ordered the buildings after seeing the Manhattan skyline.
    But architectural critics say that the Intourist never had the same appeal as the New York landmarks.
    In fact, it was derided as Moscow's "Rotten Tooth" and an eyesore in the nation's capital.
    Moscow authorities hope to build a new luxury hotel on the site of the Intourist, though no plans have been released to the public.
    Once the spot to keep an eye on the West, the hotel's breathtaking view now makes it one of the nation's most desireable post-Cold War construction sites.
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
  • Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
Register