It is usually said that Moscow University is located on Sparrow Hills, and this is true, but not entirely: its historical part is situated on Mokhovaya Street. The building with a large dome and wide portico is clearly visible from Manezhnaya Square.

Founded in 1755, the Imperial Moscow University initially occupied the building of the Main Pharmacy on Red Square, and later moved to the former house of Prince Repnin on Bolshaya Nikitskaya. In 1782 and 1793, a new building for the university was constructed on Mokhovaya Street according to the design of architect M.F. Kazakov. The main building, located deep within the territory, was distinguished by its eight-column portico and dome over the semi-oval ceremonial hall. The ceremonial courtyard was framed by side wings with rounded corners.

In 1812, before the French arrived in Moscow, teachers and students were evacuated to Nizhny Novgorod, and part of the property was taken away. On September 6, a fire broke out in the university building, which severely damaged it. Everything that could not be evacuated, including a significant part of the library of 20,000 volumes, was burned. After the fire, Marshal Dumas, the chief intendant of the French army, visited the university.

After the French left, the restoration of the building began. Professors appealed to society for help, and as a result, donations amounted to about one million rubles. The library was not only restored but also expanded, and chemical and anatomical cabinets, as well as a herbarium, were established.

The reconstruction of the main building continued until 1819 under the guidance of architect Domenico Giliardi. He preserved the structure of the old building and Kazakov's facade but replaced the Ionic portico with a Doric one, adding monumentality, and added a rusticated base with lion masks. The assembly hall was redesigned, and solar clocks, presumably created by sculptor I.P. Vitali, appeared on the facade of the right wing.

During the Soviet era, the building changed little externally, only the double-headed eagle was replaced by the Order of Lenin. The university lost its status as Imperial but was named after M.V. Lomonosov. The administration and most faculties moved to a new complex on Sparrow Hills, built between 1949 and 1953. The old building now houses some faculties and the library.