Tyumen's Arbat: How the historic street changed since the 2000s

Dzerzhinskogo Street was intended to be pedestrianized as early as the 2000s, but the plan was only realized in December 2022. The work cost half a billion rubles (about $6.8 million at current rates).

We decided to recall how the miraculously preserved historic street looked in 2009 — before it became a favorite strolling spot for Tyumen residents. Some buildings have already been erased from the city«s map, while others seem frozen in time.

The road network looked different

Let«s start our interactive tour at the intersection of Dzerzhinskogo, Pervomayskaya, and Komsomolskaya streets. Note: there was no through traffic on Pervomayskaya back then, and the road to the bridge ran precisely via Dzerzhinskogo. There was plenty of greenery around, and the area of »Tamriko« was much more extensive than it is now.

Many wooden architecture monuments from that period needed restoration. For example, the 1895 Sharovoy house looked quite dilapidated, as did the neighboring Cherepanov house.

They have now been restored, but the quality of this work was criticized — specifically for using stamped parts in making the window surrounds. This was also mentioned by a well-known Tyumen urbanist — read his detailed column here.

Since we remembered «Tamriko» — yes, 16 years ago this cafe was already operating! This is the house of the well-known merchant woman Rogozina. About 25 years ago, Georgian businessman Solomon Giorghelidze opened an establishment he named after his daughter. Credit must be given to this responsible and careful entrepreneur: all these years he has kept the building in its original state.

Some things vanished, others transformed

And here is the brick section of Dzerzhinskogo. It has remained practically unchanged, except the sidewalks are now wider.

The legendary «Khoztovary» building in 2009 was open and operating. They sold, logically enough, household goods and all sorts of things. In 2025, it is closed and in need of repair. However, a coffee shop called «Raffff, Please» has opened in the neighboring building.

In 2026, the restoration of the monument will begin, and it is planned to be completed by the end of the year. Previously, the owner of the «Maxim» holding, Larisa Nevidailo, had plans for this building: a shot bar could have appeared there. The current status of that project is unknown.

There are also places on the street that have changed beyond recognition. For example, at Sadovaya, 19 (now Dzerzhinskogo) there once stood a stone building that in the 1950s was allocated for the goods and trade inspection, as well as the regional public catering laboratory.

Later the house became residential and filled with tenants. In 2010, it became completely dilapidated and was declared unsafe. In 2014, not a trace of it remained. To read about what else has disappeared from the city map, click here.

But Tyumen«s Arbat itself has been transformed. Previously, there was a narrow road here, which, as seen in the photo, was also blocked by cars. Now there is greenery and a pedestrian zone. They even decided to update the old Khrushchyovka apartments (Soviet-era buildings) for this purpose — photos were shown here.

The residents of the buildings got repairs for free — all covered by the budget, not from the capital repair fund. The work is being carried out by the company «N-Construction». The completion date is December 31, 2025.

Also located here is the Rubtsova house — a sadly famous architectural monument. The well-known Tyumen restorer Vadim Shitov set up his workshop there. He is called the guardian of wooden Tyumen. In 2019, the wooden mansion burned down, and it was only restored in 2025.

Previously, we showed how Tyumen residents« favorite locations have changed since the 2000s. We recalled the embankment, the 400th Anniversary Square, the »Zarya« hotel, and other well-known buildings — see here.