Returning legend: restoring the historical restaurant Zolotoy Kolos at VDNKh

The Moscow Department of Cultural Heritage approved a restoration project for the building of the Zolotoy Kolos restaurant at VDNKh. This is a legendary Soviet catering establishment, the which popularity was the highest in the 70s of the 20th century. Zolotoy Kolos was visited by domestic celebrities and foreign guests. The restaurant could accommodate one thousand people, however, in order to have a table for an evening, one had to book it six months in advance.

The three-story building of the Zolotoy Kolos was erected 68 years ago in the western part of the VDNKh by architect A.V. Efimov. It was located on the shore of the 3rd Kamensky Pond at 119, Prospekt Mira, building 284. This is a magnificent building that combines elements of pre-war architecture and the Stalinist Empire style. The facade is decorated with arched windows, a portico with a pediment and a semicircular arch, double columns and a colonnade of the grand entrance. On the sides one can see the protruding parts — risalites.

The terraces of the Zolotoy Kolos restaurant overlook the surface of the pond and the fountain of the same name, as well as the neighboring pavilions Cosmos and Meat Industry.

"The Zolotoy Kolos building at VDNKh is an interesting architectural monument of federal significance that was waiting for comprehensive restoration for a long time. In the post-Soviet period, the premises of the restaurant were used as a warehouse. Then the building was closed to wait for the restoration, and it was empty for a long time. To create a restoration project, specialists investigated and described all the features of the monument. Now they have to recreate its architectural appearance of 1954. After the works completion, there is a plan to open a restaurant here again,” said Alexey Yemelyanov, Head of the Moscow Department of Cultural Heritage.

Special attention will be paid to the main facade. The project provides for the restoration and recreation of the walls, windows and doors original finishing. On the second tier, the later square brick columns and a wooden canopy will be dismantled. Restorers will recreate metal floor lamps instead of columns. Transparent canopies will be made in the galleries of the second tier.

Restorers will clear stairs and put in order the balusters of the stair railings, strengthen the brickwork, make waterproofing and restore the floor using terrazzo technique.

The stucco decoration of the facades will be restored, traces of old paint will be removed, the lost fragments will be restored according to the preserved samples.

Specialists developed a project for recreating the interiors of dining halls based of the architectural field and chemical-technological studies. The original appearance will be returned to chandeliers, mirrors, window frames and doors.

VDNKh is a unique public space with over 80 years history. There are 49 sites of cultural heritage on the territory of the exhibition, including pavilions, sculptural compositions and historical fountains. Comprehensive conservation work were completed on 23 of them. This number also includes the Metallurgiya pavilion (formerly of the Kazakh SSR), renovated in 2021.