MOHES, also known as HPP-1 or the First Moscow Power Plant named after Smidovich, although not the first power plant built, has always been considered the "main" due to the importance of the facilities it serves, including the Kremlin. The outstanding energy specialist Gleb Maksimilianovich Krzhizhanovsky worked here, and before the revolution, the chief engineer was Robert Eduardovich Klasson.

The history of ownership dates back to the 18th century when one of the representatives of the Demidov family, known for their mining enterprises, built a mansion here. Later, he moved to Italy, where he engaged in art collecting and bequeathed his collection to a museum in Florence.

The mansion on Sadovnicheskaya Street was acquired for a school, which was located in one of the wings (now house 11, building 2), remodeled for these needs. In 1896, the neighboring property, facing the embankment, was acquired by the Electric Lighting Society, which soon took over the Demidov property as well.

In 1905, the Electric Lighting Society purchased the adjacent plot between the Demidov property and the houses of merchant Privalov. Workshops and a firewood warehouse were established here, and on Sadovnicheskaya Street, a four-story building in eclectic style was constructed according to the design of architect Blagoveshchensky (house 11, building 10). The facade of the building is adorned with an arch leading to the courtyard, and the center of the facade is highlighted by a risalit with an attic. Some original elements, such as cornices and tiles, have been preserved in the interiors. In 1911, a room for a polyclinic was added to the house. Before the revolution, engineers of HPP-1 lived here, and in the 1920s, the apartments became communal.

Robert Klasson lived with his family on the second floor of the house. After the revolution, he retained his position, but his apartment was cramped. His note to the housing commission from 1920 remains, where he complains about outsiders invading his apartment.

In the late Soviet period, a medical unit of MOHES was located in the house, and the layout changed. In the 1980s, only the staircase with cast-iron railings remained, and numerous renovations created confusing passages and dead ends.

The buildings of MOHES have been repeatedly reconstructed: in 1907, 1914, and in 1925-1926. In 1907, a warehouse in brick style was built, later raised to two stories, now serving as the checkpoint of MOHES. At that time, new machine hall buildings appeared on Rausha Embankment. In the 1920s, the halls were reconstructed by architect Zholtovsky in the constructivist style.

MOHES never ceased operations, even during the Great Patriotic War. In the early 20th century, the area near Rausha Embankment was a place of work and residence for leading specialists and energy engineers.