The bright yellow building with a massive portico, reminiscent of classicism, looks unusual next to the Stalinist skyscraper and the vestibule of the "Barrikadnaya" metro station. However, it is surprising that the classicism we see is merely a later decoration of a more ancient house.

In the 18th century, there was a summer estate of the Apraksin family here, designed in the baroque style, with gardens descending to the Presnya River. If you walk around the house, you can see restored window frames in the rococo style on the courtyard facade. This is one of the few surviving summer suburban estates from the 18th century in Moscow.

In the 1770s, the property was acquired by General Alexander Ivanovich Glebov. A new main house was built for him in 1785, which was sold to the treasury after his death. For some time, the building housed the Moscow Main Pharmacy, and in 1805, the Alexandrovsky Merchant Institute moved here, for which a chapel was created in honor of St. Mary Magdalene, in honor of the patroness of the Dowager Empress Maria Feodorovna.

Before the war of 1811, the institute moved to Bozhedomka, and the house on Kudrinskaya was intended to be transferred to the Charitable Department of Empress Maria to create a shelter for military widows. However, due to the onset of the Patriotic War, this could not be realized, and the building was converted into a hospital. Many wounded from the Borodino field were brought here. During the retreat from Moscow, the Russian troops could not evacuate them in time, and the wounded remained in the city. This became one of the most tragic pages of the 1812 war: left to their fate, they slowly died. The French, accusing them of connections with partisans, staged a pogrom in the house on September 15, firing cannons at it and setting it on fire, despite the attempts of the caretaker Miritsky to stop them. About 700 wounded perished in the fire. After the French left, only the walls remained of the building.

The restoration of the Widow's House in 1813 was undertaken by architect Ivan Zhilyardi. In 1818 and 1823, his son, Domenico Zhilyardi, significantly expanded and added to the building. The chapel was also restored, and in the first half of the 19th century, it became so popular that on holidays, entry was only possible by invitation. The Widow's House accepted the widows of generals, senior officers, and high-ranking civil officials. The first nursing sisters in Moscow appeared here.

After the revolution, the Widow's House was abolished, the chapel was closed, and the garden in front of the main facade was destroyed due to changes in the street layout. The building was transferred to the People's Commissariat of Health, which opened the Institute of Social Hygiene here. It now houses the Russian Medical Academy of Postgraduate Education.