What is the meaning of 'as with that' in the following sentence?

‘As with the stripping down of the former high building of the Hotel Ukrainia, Kiev was the testing bed for a new pared-down form of Metro decoration and, as with that, the first examples just look like Stalinist stations that have been denuded of some of their fancy dress, rather than any kind of distinctive new style.’

Could the phrase refer to the example given at the beginning of the sentence, ie. as was the case with the stripping down of the former high building of the Hotel Ukrainia?

Thank you.