The Museum of Architecture and Design UrGAKhU attracts visitors with its impressive interior, exhibitions of outstanding masters and artists of the city, as well as a unique composition of Ural buildings.

Established in the 1970s, on the eve of Yekaterinburg's 250th anniversary, the museum became a place for preserving the history of architecture in Ural cities and exhibits of industrial machinery from the past. The exhibitions are located in the historical center of the city. One of the buildings housing the museum previously served as a workshop for the Yekaterinburg Mechanical Factory, and elements of large equipment are displayed in the courtyard nearby. Five monuments of industrial architecture from the 19th century were allocated for the exhibition. The first exhibition took place in 1975.

Today, the main task of the museum is to immerse visitors in the history of regional architecture and the Ural school of design, as well as to demonstrate the diversity of Ural artistic culture.

The history of the museum begins in the autumn of 1973 with the opening of the Historical Square. The complex was created with the support of the Sverdlovsk Architectural Institute, including its rector and leading teachers, as well as architect L. P. Vinokurov.

The institute's contribution was marked by the transfer of part of the buildings of the historical and memorial complex to create a cultural object. In the spring of 1975, the Museum on the history and prospects of architectural development in the Urals was opened.

The exhibition then consisted of three sections: "Stone Belt," the history of old Ural machinery, and the history of city planning.

By the end of the 1970s, work was done to select exhibits for the exhibition of large-sized machinery from local factories. In 1985, the museum was renamed the Museum of the History of Architecture and Industrial Technology of the Urals, and 27 years later it became the Museum of Architecture and Design UrGAKhU.

In 1985, the halls were equipped with new exhibition equipment, which expanded the demonstration capabilities of the space.

In 1992, a bust of Emperor Peter I, the founder of the mining industry in the Urals, was installed in the museum's courtyard. The monument is a copy of a pre-revolutionary statue, while the modern version was developed by architect S. G. Chekhomov.

Since the beginning of the 21st century, the museum has been actively developing exhibition and project activities.

In 2008, after developing a reconstruction project, the idea emerged to combine the buildings into a multifunctional complex, which housed the Ural Center for Design Development. Since then, the museum has focused on popularizing the Ural school of design. The reconstruction was completed in 2015, and during the Night of Museums, visitors saw the updated space.

The reconstruction made the complex unique. The combination of modern design and historical buildings attracts attention. The exhibitions are located in the storage building, each with its own theme. Here, one can learn about the history of mining machinery, the Ural school of design, and artistic culture. In the former lumber drying workshop, there is an exhibition "Architecture of the Stone Belt," where models, drawings, and photographs of Ural monuments can be seen. Seven sections tell about the stages of architectural development and introduce historical styles, from wooden architecture and baroque to avant-garde.

The museum's collection contains over 48,000 items. The Art Library provides access to contemporary publications on architecture and design.

The monument to Peter I is now located in the Historical Square, where it was moved along with large machinery. A small industrial park has been created next to the updated complex.

The small courtyard of the complex has been supplemented with a two-story building housing a printing house, a copying center, a model workshop, and design studios of the Ural Center for Design Development.

Since 2015, the museum has participated in the Night of Museums, introducing visitors to the works of Ural artists, products by craftsmen, and works dedicated to the Sverdlovsk rock club. Guests can see fashion shows by emerging designers. During the New Year season, the museum hosts fairy-tale performances for children by actors from "Teatron."

The museum consists of several exhibition complexes on two floors, equipped with multimedia technology. The first floor is done in light colors with high ceilings and elongated windows. The second floor retains its previous features, showcasing stone and brick walls and arches, complemented by glass railings, white floors, and red columns.

In 1975, the museum included five buildings, now recognized as federal heritage sites. One of them was a sawmill of the factory, later converted into the office of the chief mechanic. The second building utilized the factory's retaining wall with central gates onto Gorky Street. Exhibitions were also housed in the lumber drying building, the storage building, and on the eastern wall of the assembly and locksmith workshop.

The reconstructions of 2008 and 2015 combined the buildings, but the exhibition halls remained in their previous locations, while administrative services were relocated to the former office of the chief mechanic and new buildings.

The permanent exhibition "Architecture of the Stone Belt" introduces the history of architecture and urban planning in the Urals. It is based on the results of a program studying architectural monuments in the region. Inside, there are models, infographics, thematic films, virtual tours, and three-dimensional models of historical objects.

The thematic exhibitions tell about the Ural school of design, revealing the process of design development in the region from its origins to the present.