Upgrades of Moscow landmark worry some

MOSCOW, June 3 (UPI) -- Muscovites say they are worried a retrofit of a landmark children's store in Moscow will not live up to the store's endearing history.

The store, Detsky Mir, will close July 1 for a $200 million upgrade, the Moscow Times reported Tuesday.

Some worry the store's famous indoor merry-go-round, curved ceiling and ornate light fixtures will vanish.

Detsky Mir was the first store in Moscow to include escalators and air conditioning. It was also well-loved for having stocks of children's clothing, when such items were scarce, the Times reported.

Architect Professor Natalya Dushkina, granddaughter of the building's architect Alexei Dushkin, worries her grandfather's last building will no longer be recognizable.

The facade is scheduled for preservation, which offers "no guarantee that the building itself will be preserved," she said.

Plans call for a six-story glass-walled atrium and movie theaters.

Developer Sergei Shmakov said, "everything that presents historical and cultural value will be preserved."

Shmakov, too, has a long connection to the building. His father was a store administrator when Detsky Mir opened in 1957, the Times reported.