Renovation of Bolshoi gets OK

Russian President Vladimir V. Putin has approved a long-stalled Bolshoi Theater renovation project whose cost is estimated at nearly $1 billion.

The Bolshoi, a popular attraction for tourists and Russians who want to see its ballet and opera companies perform, is set to close in July for reconstruction. The column-fronted 1825 building near the Kremlin in Moscow is scheduled to reopen in early 2008, officials said.

Renovation of the Bolshoi was first proposed in the late 1980s but has been repeatedly put off by lack of money and arguments over how much change could be made in the building.