The mansion known as the "Rector's House" was built in the 1740s in the center of Moscow and served as a palace estate for the Volkonsky princes. The history of this building is rich in cultural events and diverse, just like the people who lived here.

In the late 18th century, Moscow University, now Lomonosov Moscow State University, acquired plots of old boyar estates on Mokhovaya, including the Volkonsky house, which retained architectural features of 17th-century chambers. Comparing photographs from 1978 with Kazakov's drawings, one can notice that these are different monuments, although they are often combined in local literature. The question of the location of the Volkonsky chambers remains unresolved.

In the early 19th century, the house was converted into apartments for professors. When the university established an elected rector position, P.I. Strakhov, who took it in 1805, preferred to reside in this house rather than in the former director's quarters of the Main Building. Other rectors followed his example, leading to the name "Rector's House."

The "Rector's House" is hidden in the university courtyard and represents an ordinary two-story Moscow house with windows of the lower floor set deep into the ground. It is the oldest building of the university, the only one that survived the fire of 1812 thanks to Professor Shtelecer, who managed to protect it from the flames.

The house played an important role in the development of Russian science. Here lived lawyer and theater figure N.N. Sandunov, who often hosted Moscow actors. Professor I.A. Dvigubsky established a meteorological observatory on the terrace of the house, the results of which were published in the newspaper "Moscow Vedomosti." In this house, he worked on the publication of the scientific journal "New Store of Natural History, Physics, Chemistry, Economic Information," which published original articles, including works by Lomonosov and the first printed work of student Herzen.

Rector A.V. Boldyrev provided part of his apartment to Professor N.I. Nadezhdin. According to the recollections of philologist F.I. Buslaev, there stood a tall stone building in the university courtyard occupied by Rector Boldyrev's apartment, who was a respected man. He provided space to the young aesthetics professor Nadezhdin, who kept Belinsky in one of the rooms, who later became a famous critic. The "Rector's House" actually housed the editorial office of the popular magazine "Telescope," known for its democratic direction.

In 1836, Nadezhdin published Chaadaev's "Philosophical Letter" in the magazine, which provoked a sharp reaction from the authorities: Chaadaev was declared insane, Nadezhdin was exiled, Boldyrev was dismissed, and Belinsky was forced to seek a new refuge.

In 1871, historian S.M. Solovyov became rector, who refused the official apartment and turned it into a physical laboratory for Professor A.G. Stoletov.

The small house entered the history of Russian physics thanks to Alexander Stoletov, who completed his research on the photoelectric effect here and created the photoelement. In these walls worked Zhukovsky and physicist Peter Lebedev, who measured light pressure. Here worked the self-taught I.F. Usagin, who created the transformer, and other scientists who raised the teaching of physics at the university to a high level.

Physicists occupied the "Rector's House" for over 30 years. After the construction of the Physical Institute, the house became residential and was occupied by apartments for professors, among whom were the famous geologists A.P. and M.V. Pavlov.

The "Rector's House" acquired memorial significance for the history of Russian science and culture. In the 20th century, its fate was sad: the building fell into disrepair. Despite a restoration project, the investor and designer proposed to demolish the house with "reconstruction." In 2004, the building was reconstructed with a glass roof.