Opened in 1972, the Main Department Store (GUM) is an exemplary combination of functionality and minimalism in design and one of the most prominent representatives of modernism in the center of the old city.

The building was designed as a four-story structure taking into account the surrounding development. At the time of design, the Kukeldash Madrasa, located on a hill, dominated the square. The GUM, also placed on an elevation, together with a planned hotel to its left, was intended to form a symmetrical ensemble with the madrasa. Later, the construction of the hotel to the left of GUM was abandoned; instead, a hotel was built under a new project named “Moscow,” later renamed “Chorsu,” and demolished in 2025.

Designed by architects L. Komissar, A. Freytag, and I. Pak, GUM embodied new trends in creating shopping complexes that emerged after the construction of TsUM: separation of customer flows, cargo transport, and service personnel; convenient loading and rapid movement of goods; and rational connection between storage areas and sales floors.

The building’s and the entire square’s main decoration was a cascading waterfall descending into a large pool. Unfortunately, during reconstruction, the waterfall and pool were removed and replaced with a parking lot.

From 2004 to 2011, the former GUM building housed the Turkuaz store. Later, management passed to “Toshkent Savdo Markazi” LLC, and in 2017 the shopping complex reopened as “Savdo Toshkent Markazi,” featuring stores for household appliances, men’s and women’s clothing, and children’s goods. In 2021, the building was purchased by “Buyuk Eco Savdo” LLC for 242.8 billion sums.