Пассаж Попова, Shopping center in Meshchansky District, Russia.
Popov Passage is a shopping building in the Meshchansky District with Italian Renaissance and Baroque design elements on its exterior. The structure spans multiple floors with commercial spaces and sits on Kuznetsky Most Street in central Moscow.
The building was designed and built in 1873 by architect A. Rezanov for tea merchant Konstantin Popov. It replaced a former residence belonging to a military officer and signaled new commercial growth in the area.
The passage housed music shops and bookstores where Muscovites gathered to browse and purchase goods throughout the 19th and 20th centuries. These retail spaces shaped how people shopped and explored commercial culture in the neighborhood.
The building is accessible by public transportation and has multiple street-level entrances for easy access. Since shops occupy different floors, visitors should be prepared to use stairs or elevators to explore all areas.
In 1882 the building hosted Moscow's first telephone exchange, operating around 800 lines from a wooden tower on the roof. This made it a pioneering hub for telephone communication in the city during the early days of the technology.
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