Among the series of structures built for the 50th anniversary of the UzSSR, the 16-story building of the “Sharq” publishing complex, now the UzA administrative building, holds a special place.

Tashkent is generally not spoiled with high-rises, and this building—with its clock and black screen for displaying news and advertisements—fits successfully into the city center panorama and visually “anchors” it. It is especially striking when viewed from the TSUM side and Mustakillik Square, where it harmoniously “interacts” with the volume of the Museum of History (formerly the Lenin Museum).

Project authors: architects R. Bleze, A. Gorbenko, L. Vladimirov, O. Grishko, and L. Khristich. Engineers: Ye. Patlis, M. Ryzhevsky, N. Valuev, Z. Shutyaeva, B. Marinich, and F. Ganiyev.

In 2012, the building was reconstructed: marble cladding slabs, which had begun to fall off and posed a danger to passersby, were replaced with plastic. This disrupted the proportions, and the decorative belt beneath the clock and the antenna mast disappeared. As a result, according to architecture historian B. Chukhovich, the building lost its original brutalist character.

 In 2023, the high-rise, along with the publishing complex, was put up for sale, but the Cultural Heritage Agency announced that the object is included in the National Register of Cultural Heritage and such buildings are not subject to privatization.