The Arsenal building, also known as the Armory, has a rich construction history. Its construction began in 1702 at the initiative of Peter I, who developed a plan to use the building not only as a military warehouse but also as a museum for storing military trophies and ancient weapons. This largest structure of Moscow from the Peter the Great era is located in the northeast corner of the Kremlin between the Trinity and Nikolskaya towers, on a site that became available after the fire of 1701. It marked the beginning of large-scale construction in the Kremlin.

At the initial stage, the work was led by architects M. Choglokov, D. Ivanov, and H. Konrad. However, from 1706, due to the war with Sweden and a lack of funds, construction slowed down and was completed only in 1736. From 1731, the project was overseen by Field Marshal B.-H. Minich and architect I. Schumacher. In 1737, a fire in Moscow severely damaged the Arsenal, destroying all wooden ceilings. The restoration of the building took place only from 1786 to 1796 under the guidance of M. Kazakov and engineer A. Gerarda.

Before the retreat of Napoleon's troops from Moscow in 1812, the Arsenal was blown up, the northeast end was destroyed to the foundation, and the rest of the building was damaged. Restoration according to the designs of architects A. Bakarev, I. Mironovsky, I. Tamansky, and E. Tyurin began in 1814 and was completed in 1828.

Despite the lengthy construction, the original volumetric-planning concept of the building has been preserved. Changes affected only the ceiling structures, internal layout, and decorative elements of the facades. The building has the shape of an elongated trapezoid with a large inner courtyard and adjoins the fortress wall. The architecture of the facades is monumental due to the smooth brick walls decorated with white stone and arched openings. The entrances to the courtyard on the southern and eastern facades are marked by porticos in the style of Baroque and Classicism. The high Baroque roof was replaced with the existing gentle gable.

After 1812, it was planned to create a museum of the Patriotic War in the Arsenal, and by 1819, trophy artillery pieces were brought here and placed along the facades. After the demolition of the old Armory in 1960, Russian cannons on carriages were also moved here. These pieces are now exhibits of the Museums of the Moscow Kremlin.