The Durasov House: Now and Then

On December 29, 1810, Alexander I approved the charter of the Moscow Practical Academy of Commercial Sciences. The numbers 1810 long adorned the facade of the Durasov House (building A of HSE’s Pokrovka complex) as a marker of the event. In fact, this is the date of the birth of economic education in Moscow. Below are some photos of the old building from the times of the Practical Academy of Commercial Sciences and today.

The Durasov House was built in 1801, and over the course of two centuries it served as the house of a brigadier, the estate of a rebellious count, the premises of the Practical Academy of Commercial Sciences, and the Kuibyshev Military Engineering Academy. In 2006, the building became part of HSE University.

Chemistry Room / Big Professors’ Club

The eight-columned rotunda / Entrance to the Durasov House

All black and white photos were included in a volume dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Practical Academy of Commercial Sciences. All colour photos were taken by HSE photographer Daniil Prokofiev.

This material was prepared with the assistance of the Chief of Staff Irina Martusevich.

December 29, 2020