Surprisingly, but true: the walls of the White City from the late 16th century, along the trajectory of which the Boulevard Ring of Moscow now runs, are considered one of the largest stone fortifications in Russia. However, their existence was short-lived, and they disappeared without leaving precise evidence of their appearance. Therefore, the fragments of the White City wall that have survived in their original location are unique. In 1922, the artist Apollinary Vasnetsov was the first to notice fragments of this legendary wall in a construction trench. Subsequently, archaeologists recorded its white stone foundation more than 13 times in various locations. It was at Khokhlovskaya Square that the decision was made for the first time to preserve and museumify a fragment of the wall.

The White City wall had defensive significance. Its construction was overseen by the Order of Stone Affairs, bricks were produced at factories near Moscow, and white stone was delivered from the village of Myachkovo in the Moscow region. Funding came from the treasury, as well as from taxes on foreigners and merchants. The construction was led by Fyodor Savelyevich Kon, known for building the fortress in Smolensk. The White City wall was completed in 1591. According to the Description Book of 1701, its length was about 9.5 km, and it included 28 sections and 27 towers, of which 10 were passage towers.

However, by 1774, the wall began to be dismantled: it had lost its military significance and was deteriorating. The bricks were used for the construction of the Educational House and the governor-general's residence on Tverskaya Street. After a part of the wall collapsed, injuring passersby, it was decided to completely eliminate it.

In 2007, during the construction of a shopping center with an underground parking lot at Khokhlovskaya Square, a large and well-preserved fragment of the white stone foundation of the wall was discovered. The masonry reached a height of 60 cm to one and a half meters. Among the finds were white stone carved architectural details, presumably from the grand ducal palace in the Kremlin, including two fragments of an octagonal column. Construction work was halted, and the pit remained abandoned for several years. The city authorities decided to cancel the construction project at Khokhlovskaya Square and museumify the archaeological site. In 2017, the square was landscaped according to a project by French architects. The foundations of the wall were treated with a protective compound, and the area around it was paved with a surface that allows water to pass through well and dries quickly.

In 2017, the museumification of the remains of the White City fortifications at Khokhlovskaya Square received a diploma as a laureate of the "Moscow Restoration" competition.