This house was built in the second half of the 19th century by architect Mikhail Osipovich Lopirevsky on his own property. Nearby, at Kaloshin Lane, 12, is his own residential house, built in the 1850s.

According to legend, M.O. Lopirevsky was a illegitimate son of one of the Golitsyn princes and was raised in the family of titular councilor Lopirev. In 1820, he began working in the Kremlin Construction Expedition as a clerk, and from 1825 he became a clerk and from 1826, an assistant architect. From 1833, Lopirevsky taught architecture at the Agricultural School, and his project led to the construction of the building of this school at Smolensky Boulevard, 19. The architect died in 1883 and was buried at Vagankovo Cemetery. Contemporaries noted his extraordinary stinginess.

The house on Arbat was acquired by the Moscow City Administration for a free maternity shelter.

From 1941 to 1988, the outstanding Russian philosopher Alexei Fedorovich Losev lived here. He moved here in 1941 after his previous house on Vozdvizhenka was destroyed by a bomb. In the book 'Losev', Aza Alibekovna Tako-Godi recalls that the Losevs lived in cramped conditions, without central heating and gas, but with supplies of firewood and kerosene. The apartment had many books that were saved from the destroyed house. Losev continued to expand his library, ordering special cabinets for books. Friends and like-minded people often gathered in his home. Here he worked on 'The History of Ancient Aesthetics' and other works. Losev lived in this house for almost half a century and died here in 1988. In the early 90s, the house was declared a historical monument in memory of the great philosopher.

Losev's legacy is vast, and much of his work remains unpublished. To study his works and publish his writings, the educational society 'Losev Conversations' was created, headed by Doctor of Philological Sciences Aza Alibekovna Tako-Godi. Thanks to her efforts, the house was preserved for scientific and educational activities. She made great efforts to protect the house from commercial interests, restore it, and achieve the establishment of the state cultural institution 'House of A.F. Losev'.

The history of the creation of this institution began 20 years ago when the KP 'Losev Conversations' proposed to reconstruct the house on Old Arbat and create a Center for the History of Russian Philosophical Thought based on it. In December 2000, the Library of the History of Russian Philosophy and Culture 'House of A.F. Losev' was established, where the third floor houses the memorial collection of books by Losev and Tako-Godi. The library was created based on the resolutions of the Government of Moscow and the order of the Committee on Culture.