Demolition of Erkin-Too printing house resumes in center of Bishkek

12:53, 27 апреля 2022, Bishkek - 24.kg news agency , Ruslan KHARIZOV

Demolition of the building of Erkin-Too printing house was resumed in Bishkek.

The well-known building at the intersection of Erkindik Boulevard and Kievskaya Street was built in 1931. Then it was called the printing house. Many newspapers and magazines in Soviet times were printed there. During the war years, the Panfilov division was formed in this building, from which the soldiers marched on foot to the station and left for the front.

In 2015, the Printing House No. 1 was quietly and almost without explanation deprived of the status of a heritage-listed building. The Ministry of Culture stated that the object had lost its architectural, urban planning, historical and cultural value and could not be restored. Until that time, the building could not be demolished. Its certificate of protection was the status of the historical and cultural heritage of the capital.

It is known that in 2001 the State Property Management Fund held a commercial competition and sold 40 percent of the shares of Erkin-Too OJSC — half of the state block. It sold the rest a year later.

Another high-rise building is planned to be built on the site of the building. But two private owners and holders of the documents did not agree with the proposal and have been suing the owners of the privatized Erkin-Too OJSC for years.