A NEW BEGINNING

In 2018, GUM celebrates a double anniversary: 125 years since the opening of the Upper Trading Rows building and 65 years since the reopening of GUM in 1953. Having spent many days and nights in the archives of GUM, journalist and art historian Grigori Revzin, found out that this double anniversary is nota simple coincidence.

The order on the eviction of offices and tenants from GUM

was signed on August 21st, 1953. The department store was reopened on December 24th, 1953.

HISTORY OF GUM

Alexander Rodchenko came up with the emblem of GUM in 1923.
The three letters featured in the logo have not changed since then. In the photo: mounting of the sign in 1953.

The name “GUM” was coined by Lenin, and we are quite lucky that it was that name that stuck: he also came up with MUM! “I propose to establish MUM, the Multidepartment Universal Mall», – he wrote in 1920 in one of his works, collected in the Lenin Complete Edition, Volume 55. Six months later, in 1921, he changed MUM to GUM. The man did everything he wanted. It’s even scary to think that we could have been forced with the name “MUM”! The great poet Vladimir Mayakovsky wrote the advertisement for Lenin’s GUM. Mayakovsky had previously worked on projects dedicated to promoting revolutionary ideals, and the advertisement had a commanding tone. “Do not complain of prices – come to GUM, Komsomol members and Rabfak students!” Obviously, one should not talk to customers like this. It is necessary to remain polite. In all honesty, this was not the best time for GUM. Stalin closed the store in 1930, especially since the New Economic Policy came to an end.

HISTORY OF GUM

Inspired by the world

The concept for the 1953 GUM significantly differed from the concept of 1893.
The idea of creating the new GUM was conceived by Anastas Mikoyan. He visited the USA in 1936 and was impressed by the construction work that was taking place at that time. “GUM is Moscow’s answer to Macy’s, Gimbels, Sears, Woolworths and A&P all at the same time”, – wrote Time magazine on November 30th, 1952. “The department store is to be opened next week (a month later than planned) and announced as “the largest and best in the USSR” by the Soviet press. If everything goes according to plan, twice as much clothing (including “lace & embroidery”), three times more kitchen utensils (to have something to cook twice as much meat and fish), twice as much sweets and ice cream will be produced for the Soviet people.
In 1956, clothes will fit, appliances will work well, Masha will get lipstick and perfume, and Vanya will get cigars.” It’s a mocking article but it captures the American perception of the store.

Plasterwork

Washing of the glass roof after
the reconstruction

Initially, the bowl of In 1953, its shape was changed by laying out a new octagonal base.

Facade decoration

The famous GUM fountain was built in 1906, concurrently with the Upper Trading Rows.
The fountain is built on a complex foundation that was built in accordance to the same techniques

The Soviet understanding of GUM was similar but straight-faced. “The total usable area of all GUM premises is 47 thousand square meters, the area of its trading halls is 17 thousand square meters, the length of the shelves is 2.5 km, the area of glazed shop windows is 11 thousand square meters. There are 147 departments and 56 warehouses at GUM; the length of the storage racks is 5 km. The GUM basement level holds 500 wagons of goods. The average daily number of custom million people visited the department store. This almost equals to the population of France, Belgium, Austria and Greece put together” – the first director of the department store Vladimir Kamenev wrote in 1953.

HISTORY OF GUM

he idea of creating the new GUM was conceived by Anastas Mikoyan. He visited the USA in 1936 and was impressed by the construction work that was taking place at that time

Storefronts of the future

During his visit to the USA, Mikoyan was impressed by the conveyor belt. That’s
why the pre-revolutionary GUM boutiques were replaced by departments with cash registers at the exit. GUM would never witness that many spinning and automa-tically moving objects at any other time in its history. The store represented a huge factory with rotating gears and mechanisms. The store was furnished with various achievements of scientific and technical progress. The shoe department had a special X-ray device that could scientifically determine whether your shoes were the right size or not. Necktie and shirt conveyors were running parallel to one another, each tie would stop for a few seconds in front of a shirt, and customers could remember the combination of numbers and get a ready set of shirt and tie at checkout.

Subway construction workers involved in GUM reconstruction are reading the Metrostroy Terka newspaper

 

Different machines poured water, dispensed bread, sunflower oil and pencils. Everything was prepared for achieving the maximum number of sales, on a massive scale – in the American way. But there was one problem: there was a notable scarcity of goods. GUM had become the most concentrated expression of a specific Soviet invention – the scarce consumption society. It would open like a factory at eight in the morning, and the store was crowded with people standing lines in just five minutes. No American department store could have dreamed of such popularity, neither in a terrible nor in a happy dream.

HISTORY OF GUM

The double anniversary has a double meaning. In order to implement all of Mikoyan’s plans, a different system and a different era were needed. Gastronome #1 which he opened as a practical application of his Book About Tasty and Healthy Food has been revived. The design, uniforms of the staff, and even some classic goods of the Soviet era (for example, Three Elephants tea) all remind one of the 1950-60s in the USSR. Cafe Festivalnoye and Stolovaya #57 are designed in the Soviet style. The cafe is named after the Festival of Youth and Students that was held in Moscow in 1957 and which brought together 34,000 people from 131 countries of the world. Stolovaya #57 is a self-service cafeteria the idea of which Mikoyan also picked up
in the USA back in 1936. But the food is different. The Stolovaya offers high-quality Russian and European cuisine, not “a hamburger,” as Mikoyan called it, that is, nor the «Mikoyan cutlet», as it was called by the Soviet people. The legendary GUM Cinema has been restored.

 

Fairs and exhibitions were regularly held at GUM.It was one of ways of promoting

sales that was introduced by Mikoyan, similar to how sales were organized in the West.

The store was furnished with various achievements of scientific
and technical progress. The shoe department had a special X-ray device that could scientifically determine whether your shoes were the right size or not

GUM today

«local flavor». Essentially, today the GUM operates the way it was initially conceived, as the center of Moscow at Red Square. It looks like it did not live through 125 years of losses and disasters. This is a model shopping center where you can buy almost everything. It has a pharmacy, a bank, a flower shop, restaurants, cafes, concert and exhibition venues. GUM holds regular events on Red Square: an ice rink, fashion shows and brand parades. This is a very Russian place with more than a hint of a European feel. This is the closest place to the Kremlin where you can feel like you are in Europe.

 

HISTORY OF GUM

The fountain in the center of GUM was reopened and serves as a place of rest for customers since 2007. This legendary construction is captured in both the official chronicles and in millions of shots made by independent photographers. They say that the sound of a shutter closing can be heard every three seconds here. A lot of things have changed but one feels as though things have always been like this. 125 years have passed, but it seems that GUM has remained steadfast. It towers over the city center just as it was originally planned.

 

 

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The fountain in the center of GUM was reopened and serves as a place of rest for customers since 2007. This legendary construction is captured in both the official chronicles and in millions of shots made by independent photographers. They say that the sound of a shutter closing can be heard every three seconds here. A lot of things have changed but one feels as though things have always been like this. 125 years have passed, but it seems that GUM has remained steadfast. It towers over the city center just as it was originally planned.