At the beginning of the 20th century, Miusskaya Square became one of the educational centers of Moscow. By 1915, many educational institutions had been established around the square.

The first of these was the Moscow Industrial School named after Alexander II, which opened in 1903 and today houses the Russian Chemical Technology University named after D.I. Mendeleev.

The ceremonial laying of the building took place on May 23, 1898. It was initially planned that the Industrial School would be located at the site of the Kolymazhny Courtyard on Volkhonka in honor of the 25th anniversary of Emperor Alexander II's reign. However, this site was allocated for the construction of the Museum of Fine Arts, and the school was decided to be built on the spacious Miusskaya Square. The relocation was also associated with plans to erect the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky on the square in memory of February 19, 1861.

The project of the school was developed by architect Maxim Karlovich Geppener, known for his industrial and educational buildings. The building of the Industrial School was financed by the city of Moscow. Initially, it was a three-story structure with a semi-basement and large windows in the classrooms, with the first floor decorated with rustication. Two wings of the building were located on either side of the main entrance. Laboratories and workshops were equipped with the best instruments purchased in Russia and Europe.

On February 24, 1903, the Moscow Industrial School was consecrated and opened. In 1909, a bas-relief depicting D.I. Mendeleev appeared above the entrance.

The school operated until the 1917 revolution. In 1918, it was transformed into the Moscow Chemical Technical School, which was named after D.I. Mendeleev in 1919, ten years after the installation of the bas-relief. Since 1923, this educational institution became the Moscow Practical Chemical Technology Institute named after D.I. Mendeleev.

During the Soviet era, the institute's building was raised by two floors, which harmoniously blended with the original architecture.