Borovitsky Hill is a place where the Slavs settled, and princes later settled here, and then Russian tsars. Gradually, the population grew — there were both chambers and workshops here. Part of the square was occupied by temples.

In 1712, under Peter I, when the capital moved to St. Petersburg, the Kremlin was abandoned. Gradually, the buildings were demolished, new ones were erected in return. For example, the Winter Palace was created for Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, and at the end of the 18th century, a new one began to be built. The project was never implemented, but some more buildings were dismantled, including Boris Godunov's Palace. At the beginning of the 19th century, almost everything that happened under Ivan the Terrible did not leave a single building.

Under Nicholas I, the Kremlin was taken up by: the new architect, K. A. Ton made sure that the preserved buildings, the construction of which dates back to the 15th-17th centuries, fit into the architectural appearance of the Kremlin, so that the new buildings look against the background of ancient monuments superfluous, but on the contrary, were organically combined. They were gradually restored. Thanks to the materials used by the architect, it was possible to achieve such beautiful combinations.

Initially, Palace Square, which was also called Imperial Square, was opened from the river side, and then passed into Borovitskaya Street. Later, a grid in the style of the XIX century appeared here - and the square was cut off from the roadway.