This building was built for 11 years since 1776 for Empress Catherine. The Senate was built “for the sake of glorifying the Russian power”. Architect Matvey Kazakov created a real masterpiece of architecture in the classicist style, and when the top officials did not believe that the dome with a diameter of 24.7 meters above the main hall was quite strong, Kazakov I climbed upstairs and stood on it for half an hour. But there is evidence that he stood restlessly — jumping and stomping. When the architect came down, his colleagues greeted him with applause.

The Empress liked the palace so much that she gave her gloves to the architect's wife. And she gave him a diamond ring herself. The Empress decided that the palace would be suitable for the Moscow nobility, but this did not come true: the judicial authorities firmly occupied the building.

In November 1917, the Senate was shelled, and it needed repair: the furnaces were in poor condition, the ceilings were leaking, and the furniture was by no means new. I had to do a little renovation. In March 1918, Lenin and the entire government moved to the Senate. On the third floor, Vladimir Ilyich was accommodated in a private apartment, and on the roof there was a terrace where the leader of the proletariat could sunbathe.

In 1930, Joseph Stalin was located here. Under him, everything that would later be called Stalin's Empire style appeared on the facades. A workshop was built for one of the leader's sons in the basement.

The next Secretary General, Nikita Khrushchev, ordered a minor renovation in the Senate building, and in 1961, the Round Hall was returned to its historical colors. In 1962, the Oval Hall was also restored.

An interesting fact: a secret document on the descent of the State Flag of the USSR from the Senate and the raising of the State Flag of the Russian Federation was compiled on paper, by hand. For 10 minutes, the Senate stood without a flag.

In 1991, the Senate became the residence of Boris Yeltsin. Then the building was once again restored, evicting the entire administration for two years. The best architects and craftsmen were involved in the work. In 1996, the work was completed. Under the first Russian president, an amazingly beautiful winter garden appeared in the building, known today to many Muscovites.