The history of the Ostrova SEC in Blagoveshchensk is quite remarkable and reflects the transformation of the city's industrial heritage into a modern space for recreation and entertainment. Originally, the site where the shopping center now bustles with life was occupied by the workshops of a house-building plant (DSK). In Soviet times, this plant played a vital role, producing the wall panels used to build the famous five-story houses known as "khrushchevkas." Even today, despite radical changes, many still refer to the area where the SEC is located as the DSK district, preserving the memory of its industrial past. The plant itself was unable to adapt to the new economic realities and ceased to exist in the 1990s.
The first attempt to breathe new life into the empty premises of the former DSK was made in the early 2000s. A large trading firm purchased the territory with ambitious plans to open the city's largest shopping and entertainment center there by 2008. However, these plans were not destined to come true. The owning company faced financial difficulties leading to bankruptcy, and subsequent legal proceedings froze the process of converting the former workshops into retail space for a long time.
The fate of the future shopping center changed when the facility was put up for auction. The new owner was the company "Faust," which purchased it for 425,848,500 rubles, significantly lower than the initial price of 926 million rubles. It was "Faust" that took on the task of completing the large-scale reconstruction. Thanks to the efforts of the new owner, in December 2012, Ostrova SEC finally opened its doors to its first visitors, marking the beginning of a new era for this iconic location in Blagoveshchensk.
A significant event in the recent history of Ostrova SEC was the opening of the unique "Old Town" art object in 2016. This themed zone, recreating the atmosphere of 19th-century city streets, quickly became one of the complex's main highlights and a popular spot for photo shoots and walks, adding another interesting chapter to the history of this amazing place that successfully transformed from an industrial giant into a center of attraction for residents and visitors alike.