Almost simultaneously with the Exchange on Vasilievsky Island, another majestic building reminiscent of an ancient temple was being erected. It was intended for the first higher technical school in Russia, founded in 1773. Initially, the school was located in two houses on the embankment. In 1806 and 1808, architect A.N. Voronikhin reconstructed the building, combining five houses on the embankment into a single complex and adding a small wing on the 21st line of Vasilievsky Island, where the Mountain Institute was located.

In creating the ensemble of the Mountain Institute, A.N. Voronikhin was assisted by young sculptors V.I. Demut-Malinovsky and S.S. Pimenov. The main facade of the institute is executed in the strict forms of Greek architecture and is adorned with twelve Doric columns. The portico is set on a high podium, accessed by steps.

The strictness and conciseness of the institute's architecture are emphasized by sculptural compositions that enriched the exterior of the building and added important semantic accents. Stone sculptural groups are installed on either side of the wide staircase at the main entrance. Their dynamics, contrasted with the calm lines of the colonnade, enhance the impression of the grandeur of the structure.

It is important to note that the scale of the sculptural groups is well chosen, and the compositions are easily perceived. It seems that they, together with the columns of the building, withstand the pressure of the heavy entablature.

The sculptural group "The Abduction of Proserpine by Pluto," located to the left of the portico, was created between 1809 and 1811 by V.I. Demut-Malinovsky and executed in Pudost stone by master Samson Xenofontovich Sukhanov.

The subject is related to the ideas of earthly riches. The union of Pluto, the god of the underworld, and the goddess of fertility Proserpine symbolized the wealth of the earth's depths leading to abundance.

In creating the model for the group, V.I. Demut-Malinovsky was likely inspired by the classical work of the young Gian Lorenzo Bernini on the same subject. From Bernini comes the emphasized movement of Proserpine, as if pushing away from her abductor, and the ease with which Pluto supports her in the air. However, the size of the group and the material complicated the sculptor's task, so Proserpine is depicted leaning on a support in the form of the figure of the hellhound Cerberus, skillfully integrated into the composition. Another support is disguised under Pluto's drapery.