IMELI Building, Tbilisi

The Biltmore Hotel Tbilisi is a prestigious hotel managed by Millennium & Copthorne Hotels. It is situated on Rustaveli Avenue, the main street in the city, and comprises two main structures. The first is the historic IMELI building, which was built during the Soviet era in the 1930s and showcases Stalin-era Socialist Classicism. Designed by Alexey Shchusev, the IMELI building originally housed the Tbilisi branch of the Marx-Engels-Lenin Institute. It is known for its eclectic design, blending elements of Socialist Classicism and Constructivism.

The building features intricate woodwork, metalwork, and Georgian marble, both on the exterior and interior. Noteworthy Georgian sculptors, Iakob Nikoladze and Tamar Abakelia contributed to its facades. In 1986, the IMELI building was recognized as an architectural heritage site. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, the IMELI building transitioned to government use, and certain Communist-era symbols and decorations were removed from its facades.

In 2011, Tbilisi City Hall granted permission for a new investor to construct a 32-story glass skyscraper adjacent to the Shchusev-designed building. This modern addition, towering at a height of 138 meters, creates a striking contrast with the predominantly 19th and early 20th-century architecture found along Rustaveli Avenue. A glass walkway now connects the IMELI building to the newly constructed skyscraper.