The government of St. Petersburg has drafted a list of 73 buildings that the city's iconic views and architectural ensembles would be better-off without, Interfax reported Sunday.
The list labels the buildings, most of which have been constructed in the past decade, as "dissonant objects." Inclusion on the list does not entail any legal consequences to the buildings' owners, but the city's heritage protection committee plans to come up with measures that would neutralize their damage to the city center, which is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The document has already gained the approval of the Culture Ministry in Moscow and will now be sent for consideration to St. Petersburg's legislative assembly.
The list includes many premium residential complexes along St. Petersburg's Neva River, as well as numerous shopping malls that have been constructed on the city's central squares in recent years.
In addition to newer buildings, the list includes several that were constructed during the Soviet era, including Oktyabrsky Concert Hall, which was built in 1967 next to the city's main boulevard Nevsky Prospekt on the site of a 19th-century Greek church.
Some of the new buildings in St. Petersburg have already undergone remodeling efforts due to aesthetic considerations.
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