The ship of the admiralty. A brief history of the Admiralty

The Admiralty, along with the Peter and Paul and St. Isaac Cathedrals, is the dominant feature of the Northern capital and the center of the three-beam layout that emerged back in the Peter the Great era. The "Admiralty Needle", which "stitched centuries of history", is one of the symbols of St. Petersburg, without which it is impossible to imagine the panorama of the Neva banks.

The first building of the Admiralty was laid according to the plan of Peter the Great in 1704. He erected St. Petersburg as main center Russian shipbuilding and navigation, and therefore the Admiralty was built both as a shipyard and as a fortress - the Great Northern War was going on. Buildings located "rest", ie. in the form of the letter "P", opened to the Neva; in a vast courtyard, ships were assembled on stocks and launched on planks oiled with lard. In the central building - in the tower under the spire - the Admiralty Collegium worked, which controlled the Russian fleet.

All buildings of the first Admiralty were wooden and by the 1720s. pretty dilapidated. Erection of new, stone buildings in the 1730s. headed by the architect I.K. Korobov, one of the "chicks of Petrov's nest". He re-created the entire production complex, keeping the general outline of the previous building. It was outstanding for its time, but by the beginning of the 19th century. looked already old-fashioned and too utilitarian against the background of the new ceremonial buildings of St. Petersburg.

The currently existing building of the Admiralty is the third in a row - in 1806-1823. erected by Andreyan Dmitrievich Zakharov (1761-1811), chief architect of the Admiralty Department. He was a graduate of the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, studied in Paris and devoted his whole life to serving architecture. The architect showed respect for the works of his predecessors, partially preserving the walls of old buildings, window openings and the Korobov spire. By the beginning of the 19th century. The Admiralty lost its significance as a shipyard and a fortress, and therefore new structures had to acquire a completely different artistic image... Turning to the city and its main thoroughfares, the Admiralty began to be perceived as a symbol of the sea. With its other side, it "looks" at the Neva - it is a symbol of the power of St. Petersburg over the water element, a part of the city's sea façade.

The Admiralty is an outstanding monument of classicism, in the appearance of which some researchers see the features of the French Empire style. The architect Zakharov skillfully avoided the monotony of the 407-meter long façade by decorating it with porticoes creating a play of light and shadow. The central multi-tiered tower with a triumphal arch resembles the gate towers of ancient Russian monasteries. Its spire, more than 70 m high, is completed by the famous three-masted weather vane with loose sails - the symbol of St. Petersburg (it weighs 65 kg and is covered with 2 kg of pure gold). The giant building does not overwhelm; in everything it is proportionate to man and in some incomprehensible way combines monumentality and softness.

The sculpture, according to Zakharov's plan, does not decorate the building, but forms a single whole with it, turning the Admiralty into a monument of Russian naval glory. The architect's co-authors were the best sculptors of that time: F.F. Shchedrin, S.S. Pimenov, I.I. Terebenev, V.I. Demut-Malinovsky. They sculpted the commanders and heroes of antiquity, installed at the corners of the base of the tower, allegorical statues of natural elements that crowned its columns, groups of sea nymphs on the sides triumphal arch, masks of sea deities on the keystones of the first floor. The plot of the 22-meter high relief on the attic of the "Establishment of the Fleet in Russia" tower makes the Admiralty building a kind of encyclopedia of the Russian fleet.

The Admiralty is part of the ensemble of central St. Petersburg squares: its walls are in perfect harmony with the facades of the Winter Palace on Palace Square, as well as with the buildings located on the Dekabristov and Isaakievskaya squares.

The Patriotic War of 1812-1814 significantly slowed down the work on the restructuring of the Admiralty. In total, the main construction work took thirteen years, and another four years were spent on finishing the building. The complete reconstruction was completed by 1823.
According to Zakharov's project, the U-shaped plan of the building remained with a vast courtyard open to the Neva, ships were still built here. But if you look from above, you can see two elongated U-shaped bodies, as if inserted into one another. The ends of the inner and outer P are closed on both sides by pavilions-arches. After the restructuring, these buildings were intended for the institutions of the Naval Department (Admiralty Department, library, museum). The building facing the Palace Square was occupied by the residence of the Admiralty Department.

Side-facing body Bronze Horseman", The seat of the Admiralty Board. They faced the city with their new front facades. Both groups of Admiralty buildings were separated by a canal that went out to the Neva through the arches of two symmetrical pavilions, built according to the project of A.D. Zakharov.
The length of the main facade of the Admiralty is 415 meters, and each of the side ones is 172 meters. The main façade is divided into three parts. In the center is a massive rectangular volume carrying a stepped tower. The tower is crowned with a spire with a ship - this motive Zakharov also preserved from the Korobov Admiralty.
A clock made at the Izhora plant was installed on the tower of the Admiralty. The best sculptors of that time took part in the construction of the Admiralty: FF Shchedrin, VI Demut-Malinovsky, SS Pimenov, II Terebenev, AA Anisimov.
Thematically, the sculpture and reliefs in allegorical form reveal the purpose of the building and glorify the sea power of Russia. The central tower bearing the spire became the focus of the sculpture. Above the entrance arch is the main relief - "Establishment of the Fleet in Russia", made by II Terebenev. The relief depicts the god of the seas, Neptune, presenting Peter I with a trident, a symbol of power over the sea. Nearby is Russia in the image of a young woman with a cornucopia in her hand. Here is Minerva, Mercury and Vulcan, glorifying Russia. Russia carries the Russian flag over the waves along which ships sail, surrounded by sea deities.
Above the arch of the gate are two allegorical figures of the winged geniuses of Glory. In the center of the relief framing the arch is the state emblem.
On both sides, the arch is flanked by sculptural groups - Sea nymphs carrying heavenly spheres, by the sculptor FF Shchedrin. On the parapet of the tower there are statues of the heroes of antiquity - Alexander the Great, Pyrrhus, Ajax and Achilles.

Main Admiralty


St. Petersburg:	2nd Admiralteisky Island, 1 Dvortsovy Proezd; Admiralteisky proezd, 1; Admiralteyskaya emb., 2
Architectural style:
	Ivan Korobov (1738), Andreyan Zakharov (1823)
First mention:
Construction:	1704-1706 years
	An object cultural heritage RF No. 7810001000
State:	Satisfactory

Model-camera

Building of 1711

Ship

Building of 1738

Building of 1823

Main Admiralty building- a complex of Admiralty buildings in St. Petersburg on the 2nd Admiralty Island, located on the banks of the Neva River, a significant monument of Russian Empire architecture. Originally built as a shipyard, it was rebuilt in the 18th-19th centuries.

Since 1718, the Admiralty Collegium was located here (since 1827 - the Admiralty Council), in 1709-1939 - the Model Chamber (since 1805 - the Maritime Museum). Since 2012, the Main Command of the Russian Navy has been located here.

The ship on the spire of the building is considered one of the symbols of the city along with the Bronze Horseman and the contours of the divorced Palace Bridge against the background of the Peter and Paul Cathedral. The Admiralty needle is depicted on the medal "For the Defense of Leningrad".

Admiralty fortress, built according to the drawings of Peter I

Initially, the St. Petersburg Admiralty was built as a shipyard according to drawings signed personally by Peter I. It was laid on November 5 (16), 1704, about which the following record has been preserved:

The preparatory work was completed in record time: at the beginning of 1705, the main buildings were erected at the shipyard and the first ships were laid on the sheds.

Since in the conditions Northern War it was necessary to protect the shipyard, in 1706 the admiralty was a fortress: the buildings were fenced with an earthen rampart with five earthen bastions, ditches were dug along the perimeter filled with water and a glacis embankment was made. Esplanade - a vast meadow free of buildings for viewing the area of fire in the event of a surprise attack by the enemy, stretched to the modern Malaya Morskaya Street.

On May 10 (April 29), 1706, after the completion of the construction of a shed with 18 cannons, the first launch of the ship took place.

By 1715, about ten thousand people worked in this subdivision of the Admiralty Order. At that time, the Admiralty was a one-story hut building, located in the form of a strongly stretched letter "P", opened towards the Neva. The building housed warehouses, workshops, forges, as well as services of the admiralty department. The yard was occupied by boathouses for construction sailing ships, along its perimeter there was an internal canal (filled up in 1817). The Admiralty Canal had both defensive and transport functions: connecting with the Admiralty Canal, it was integrated into the network of city canals, and timber from New Holland and other building materials were delivered through it.

Model-camera

In 1709, by order of Peter I, a model camera was founded in the Admiralty (Netherlands. model-kammer- model room, sample pantry), where the ship's drawings and models were kept. According to the "Regulations on the management of the admiralty and shipyard" of 1722, the models of all the ships built here were preserved in the model-chamber: drawing for the descent of the ship, to give to the Admiralty College. In 1805, the model-camera was transformed into the Maritime Museum (since 1908 - named after Peter the Great), which existed here until 1939.

Architecture

Building of 1711

In 1711, the first restructuring of the Admiralty was carried out. In 1719, the idea of a vertical dominant was realized: a metal spire with a boat was installed above the gate, erected by the Dutch master Harman van Bolos:

Ship

It is possible that the ship of the Admiralty repeats the silhouette of the first ship that entered the newly built port of St. Petersburg. There is also an opinion that the frigate Oryol became the prototype of the ship - the first Russian warship built in 1667-1669 by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (this statement is based on the fact that none of the ships built by Peter before 1719 had anything in common with a boat on a spire).

According to legend, the three flags on the ship's masts were made of pure red gold, and the personal compass of Peter I was kept in the bow.

The original boat stood on the spire until 1815, when during the repair it was replaced with a new one, while the original van Bolos boat was lost. The second boat stood for 71 years: in 1886, during the next repair of the spire, it was removed and replaced with an exact copy; the original, weighing 65 kg, length - 192 cm and height - 158 cm, was put on display at the Maritime Museum located here.

The Admiralty building made an impression on the people of that era:

Building of 1738

In 1732-1738, the architect I.K.Korobov built the stone building of the Admiralty. The architect succeeded, while retaining the previous plan, to give the structure a monumentality that corresponded to its city-forming function. In the center, above the gate, a slender central tower was built with a gilded spire, sometimes called the "Admiralty Needle" (according to some testimonies, gold ducats received by Peter I as a gift from the United Provinces were put on the gilding of the spire). A weather-vane boat was raised to a height of 72 meters, here it is to this day.

In the 1740s, the area around the Admiralty was used for military exercises and as pasture for livestock. On holidays, the Admiralty Meadow became a place for city-wide festivities and fairs; carousels, booths, and roller coasters were installed here.

The space around the Admiralty was also streamlined: in the 1760s, the architect Andrei Kvasov defined the boundaries of the central squares surrounding the Admiralty building.

The area to the south of the Admiralty was called the Admiralty Meadow until the middle of the 18th century. Soldiers' exercises and festivities were held on the Admiralty Meadow.

In the second half of the 18th century, the fortress canal became heavily polluted and began to accumulate dirty waste water. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in the middle of the 18th century ordered the canal to be regularly cleaned and the meadow to be paved. The Admiralty meadow was completely paved only by the end of the reign of Catherine II (in last quarter XVIII century).

By this time, the southern part of the meadow was built up, and the boundaries of the Admiralty Square in front of the main facade of the Admiralty were determined.

Building of 1823

TO early XIX century, the utilitarian architecture of the Admiralty no longer corresponded to its position as a "central" building in the city: three main thoroughfares (Nevsky Prospect, Gorokhovaya Street and Voznesensky Prospect) converge towards it. To the east of the Admiralty, the undeveloped space reached the Moika River, along which Bolshaya Lugovaya Street ran. It became necessary to change the appearance of the building so that it would be in harmony with the nearby Winter Palace and other majestic architectural ensembles located next to the Admiralty.

In 1806-1823, the architect Andreyan Zakharov brilliantly solved this problem. The idea of the building's new look was the theme of Russia's naval glory and the power of the Russian fleet. Zakharov rebuilt the Admiralty almost completely, leaving only an elegant tower with a spire. The fortifications near the shipyard were destroyed, and a boulevard was laid out in their place (now the Aleksandrovsky Garden is located on this place). Having retained the configuration of the plan of an already existing building, Zakharov created a new, grandiose (the length of the main facade is 407 m), giving it a majestic architectural appearance and emphasizing its central position in the city (as mentioned above, the main thoroughfares converge to it with three rays).

The architectural ensemble of the Admiralty consists of two U-shaped buildings (external and internal). The Admiralty Moat passed between them. The outer building was occupied by the administrative offices of the maritime and river fleet Russia, and in the interior there were still production workshops.

In the center of the building there is a monumental tower with a spire (architect Ivan Korobov), surrounded by a colonnade in the middle part, which has become the symbol of the city. The base of the tower is cut through by an arch, and 12 and 6-column porticos are installed on the flanks of the middle part. They are repeated on the side facades. The pavilions facing the Neva echo the base of the central tower and are crowned with flagpoles with statues of dolphins. The strict rhythm of articulations gives the composition of the Admiralty a special integrity. The composition of the two wings of the facade, symmetrically located on the sides of the tower, is built on a complex rhythmic alternation of simple and clear volumes (smooth walls, strongly protruding porticos, deep loggias).

Special place v architectural solution The Admiralty is occupied by sculpture. In the pediments of the side porticos there are reliefs depicting the Greek goddess of justice, Themis, rewarding warriors and artisans. Stepan Pimenov, Vasily Demut-Malinovsky, Artemy Anisimov took part in the creation of the sculptures. The central arch is flanked by statues of nymphs carrying globes standing on high pedestals (sculptor Theodosius Shchedrin). Above the arch there are soaring Glories and an allegorical bas-relief "Establishment of the Fleet in Russia" by Ivan Terebenev. On the corners of the first tier there are figures of ancient heroes: Alexander the Great, Achilles, Ajax and Pyrrhus. Above the colonnade there are 28 sculptural allegories: fire, water, earth, air, four seasons, four cardinal points, the muse of astronomy - Urania and the patroness of shipbuilders, the Egyptian goddess Isis, etc.

Decorative reliefs organically correlate with large architectural volumes, wall sculptural groups emphasize living human measure in grandiosely expanded facades. The sculptures of the Admiralty do not just indicate the functional purpose of the building, they affirm the image of Russia as a maritime power.

From the interiors of the Admiralty, a lobby with a grand staircase, a meeting room and a library have been preserved. The austere austerity of monumental architectural forms is softened by an abundance of light and exceptional elegance of decoration.

Operation history

The construction of sailing ships at the Admiralty shipyard continued until 1844. Later, only the institutions of the fleet remained in the building: the Naval Ministry, the Main Naval Headquarters, the Main Hydrographic Directorate, the Admiralty Cathedral. In 1709-1939, it housed the Naval Museum.

Since June 1917, the Centroflot, the central democratic body of the fleet, which supports the Provisional Government, was located here. During October revolution it was dissolved, and on October 26, on the initiative of V.I. VMRK was located in the wing of the Admiralty, facing To the Bronze Horseman.

In 1932-1933, the building housed the Gas-Dynamic Laboratory - the first design bureau in the USSR for the development of rocket engines.

Since 1925, the building houses the Higher Naval engineering school named after F.E.Dzerzhinsky. Until the end of 2008, the headquarters of the Red Banner Leningrad Naval Base was also located there.

Preservation and restoration

During the blockade of Leningrad, the spire of the Admiralty was covered; the shelter was removed on April 30, 1945. Restoration work in the building was carried out in 1928, 1977 and 1997-1998. In 1977, when the spire was gilded, a special box was installed in the ball under the boat, where the draft of the Constitution of the USSR was placed.

Modernity

In the post-Soviet period, various projects for the new use of the premises of the Admiralty have repeatedly appeared. So, in 2006, a proposal was put forward to move here, to a limited area, Central naval museum, in the building of which the government of St. Petersburg planned to open an oil exchange. In the fall of 2007, there was a proposal to place the command of the Navy in the Admiralty. Meanwhile, residents of the city noticed that the Admiralty tower had cracked. The situation is being investigated by KGIOP

In 2009, the Naval School and the headquarters of the Leningrad Naval Base left the building. On October 31, 2012, the official move of the General Staff of the Navy to the Admiralty building took place, on the same day the St. Andrew's flag was raised on the building, officially symbolizing the presence of the high naval command here.

December 25, 2013 at the Admiralty, in a tower with a spire at the intersection Admiralteyskaya embankment and Dvortsovy Proezd, the temple of St. Spyridonius of Trimifutsky was opened (the cross of the temple will be the St.Andrew's banner, developing over the turret). The opening of the temple was attended by the command of the Russian Navy, headed by Viktor Chirkov, in whose opinion this event was timed to coincide with the launch of the second missile carrier of the Borey project.

At the end of January 2014, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu approved the concept of adapting the complex of buildings of the Admiralty for the needs of the Navy: the courtyards of the building, in violation of the legislation on the protection of monuments, are proposed to be covered with a transparent dome, and glass passages be thrown between the historical buildings.

Address: Admiralteyskiy proezd, 1

One of the main symbols of St. Petersburg is rightfully considered the famous Admiralty... This is primarily a historical monument - it was here that Peter the Great personally founded a shipyard for the creation of Russian ships, a domestic fleet was created here, which has a heroic and glorious history.

Secondly, the Admiralty is an architectural monument of the Russian Empire style 18-19 centuries... The history of the creation of the Admiralty as a shipbuilding industry and as an architectural town-planning complex is very interesting.

The history of the creation and development of the Admiralty

18 century

As a complex of structures created for construction and renovation Russian ships, The Admiralty arose under Peter the Great. The very first Russian admiralty was built in the city Voronezh, and the ships built there took part in the Azov campaign.

In the new city, which is under construction on the Neva, in the immediate vicinity of the sea, to build ships, as they say, God himself commanded.

Construction of ships at the St. Petersburg admiralty shipyard

At the beginning of the 18th century, on the banks of the Neva, at the very active participation Peter, a wooden admiralty was built shipyard fortress... The time was war, therefore, during the construction of the shipyard, appropriate protective measures were taken, which consisted in the construction of earthen ramparts, bastions and ditches filled with water. Also, from the northeast side, due to deforestation, a mandatory esplanade(flat viewable area).

Already by 1706, in less than two years, was built and launched first Petersburg ship... And ten years later, the Admiralty Order already had 10 thousand people who worked on the construction of ships, in workshops and warehouses, were engaged in various administrative affairs of the department. It even existed under the admiralty camera model, a special room for storing diagrams, drawings and even models of already built ships. Later, the camera model grew into Maritime museum.

Admiralty early 18th century

In 1716, a complex of one-story Admiralty buildings was stretched along the Neva in a U-shape. A in 1719 the gates of the Admiralty entrance are for the first time decorated with a metal spire with a figurine three-flag boat made by Dutch craftsmen. Since then, the ship of the Admiralty spire has become a symbol of the city. From which ship the silhouette of the Admiralty ship was created is not known for certain, they say that its flags were pure gold, and one of the personal construction tools of Peter the Great was placed in the bow.

That first boat, which stood on the spire for almost a hundred years, was lost during repair work. The second boat weighs 65 Kg, installed to replace the first, lasted more than seventy years, and then was sent to the Maritime Museum. It was replaced by the third boat repeating it exactly.

Only after the death of Peter, already in the 30s of the 18th century, the stone admiralty buildings were finally built. Architect I. Korobov was able to create a monumental structure without changing its original plan. He decorated the entrance gate slender tower with a gilded spire ending weather vane... Since then, that boat has been sailing on 72 meters height seen from different parts cities.

At that time, Palace Square did not yet exist, there was no current Winter Palace, and the more unnecessary esplanade gradually turned into the Admiralty Meadow, where festivities were held, military exercises and the royal cattle grazed.

In the 60s of the same century, according to the urban planning plan A.Kvasova the boundaries of the main city squares were determined. The Admiralty meadow was covered with a stone pavement and gradually turned into the Palace Square. Three main city streets - Nevsky Prospect, Gorokhovaya and Voznesenskaya - converged to the Admiralty building.

The city became prettier, developed, its appearance became stylish and recognizable. The time has come for the Admiralty building itself to be brought to a common harmonious denominator with magnificent structures built nearby. This task fell on the shoulders architect A. Zakharov at the beginning of the 19th century.

19th century

Starting from the idea of creating the Admiralty as a symbol the power of the Russian fleet, Zakharov completely rebuilt the buildings, preserving, however, the general existing plan and the tower with I. Korobov's spire.

The remains of the Admiralty Meadow and the shipyard structures were turned into boulevard which later became Alexander Garden... The grandiose, 400 meters long construction along the Neva, consisted of external and internal buildings. The Korobovskaya tower was the dominant center. To prevent a very elongated building from looking monotonous, it was divided into rhythmic parts- now a protruding portico, now a smooth wall.

Throughout the buildings you can see various sculptures, bas-reliefs, allegorical statues, etc. The leitmotif of all decorations is easy to read nautical theme and the power of the Russian sea power.

Over the entire period of the existence of the Admiralty shipyard, more than 250 Russian ships... But from the middle of the 19th century, the building began to be used only as a purely administrative building. By the way, some of the great dukes from the Romanov dynasty served here. The Naval Museum was also located here.

In the 60s, under Alexander II, the small Admiralty church turned into Cathedral of St. Spyridon of Trimifuntsky, for which the bell tower was erected. The growing status of the ecclesiastical institution of the Admiralty led to disagreements between secular and ecclesiastical attitudes towards some of the images that adorn the Admiralty walls. As a result of numerous discussions, some of the pagan sculptures and architectural decorations were removed, although the architects and artists of the city opposed their removal.

At the end of the 60s, appeared on the Admiralty tower watch European production. Under Nicholas II, these clocks were replaced by electric ones.

Clock on the building of the Admiralty

20th century

After the revolution, the Admiralty building was occupied and The Naval Revolutionary Committee, and design bureau Gas-dynamic laboratory, and Higher Naval Engineering School named after F. Dzerzhinsky.

Since 2013 the building of the Admiralty was given to the Main Command of the Russian Navy. And Peter's ship, albeit in a restored form, still floats over the city and over the Neva through the years, through social upheavals, wars, devastation and restoration. Let's wish him further happy sailing!

Admiralty fortress, built according to the drawings of Peter I

Initially, the St. Petersburg Admiralty was built as a shipyard according to drawings signed personally by Peter I. It was laid down on November 5 (16), 1704, about which the following record has been preserved:

They laid the foundation for the Admiralty House and had fun in the osteria and had fun, length 200 yards, width 10 yards.

The preparatory work was completed in record time: at the beginning of 1705, the main buildings were erected at the shipyard and the first ships were laid on the sheds.

By 1715, about ten thousand people worked in this subdivision of the Admiralty Order. At that time, the Admiralty was a one-story hut building, located in the form of a strongly stretched letter "P", opened towards the Neva. The building housed warehouses, workshops, forges, as well as services of the admiralty department. The yard was occupied by boathouses for the construction of sailing ships, along its perimeter there was an inner canal (filled up in 1817). The Admiralty Canal had both defensive and transport functions: connecting with the Admiralty Canal, it was integrated into the network of city canals, and timber from New Holland and other building materials were delivered through it.

Model-camera

In 1709, by order of Peter I, a model-chamber was founded in the Admiralty (Dutch model-kammer - a room of models, a storeroom of samples), where ship drawings and models were kept. According to the "Regulations on the management of the admiralty and shipyard" of 1722, the models of all the ships built here were preserved in the model-chamber: drawing for the descent of the ship, to give to the Admiralty College. In 1805, the model-camera was transformed into the Maritime Museum (since 1908 - named after Peter the Great), which existed here until 1939.

Architecture

Building 1711

The Admiralty Spitz should be completed with all carpentry and carpentry work and strengthened with its artisans, and on this Spitz put an apple and a ship and a crown on top of it, finish the windows and doors inside and from the face of that Spitz: Balusters and stairs with everything in finishing with the kindest and purest craftsmanship ...
- an order received by van Bolos from the Admiralty College.

Ship

The ship on the spire of the building is one of the symbols of St. Petersburg. It is possible that the ship of the Admiralty repeats the silhouette of the first ship that entered the newly built port of St. Petersburg. There is also an opinion that the frigate Oryol became the prototype of the ship - the first Russian warship built in 1667-1669 by decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich (this statement is based on the fact that none of the ships built by Peter before 1719 had anything in common with a boat on a spire).

According to the legend, the three flags on the ship's masts were made of pure red gold, and the personal compass of Peter I was kept in the bow.

The Admiralty building made an impression on the people of that era:

At the Admiralty, a beautiful and huge building located at the end of this road, a lovely and rather tall spitz is arranged, which goes directly opposite the avenue

Building of 1738

The area to the south of the Admiralty was called the Admiralty Meadow until the middle of the 18th century. Soldiers' exercises and festivities were held on the Admiralty Meadow.

In the second half of the 18th century, the fortress canal became heavily polluted and began to accumulate dirty waste water. Empress Elizaveta Petrovna in the middle of the 18th century ordered the canal to be regularly cleaned and the meadow to be paved. The Admiralty meadow was completely paved only towards the end of the reign of Catherine II (in the last quarter of the 18th century).

By this time, the southern part of the meadow was built up, and the boundaries of the Admiralty Square in front of the main facade of the Admiralty were determined.

Building of 1823

By the beginning of the 19th century, the utilitarian architecture of the Admiralty no longer corresponded to its position as a "central" building in the city: three main thoroughfares (Nevsky Prospect, Gorokhovaya Street and Voznesensky Prospect) converge towards it. To the east of the Admiralty, the undeveloped space reached the Moika River, along which Bolshaya Lugovaya Street ran. It became necessary to change the appearance of the building so that it would be in harmony with the nearby Winter Palace and other majestic architectural ensembles located next to the Admiralty.

Since June 1917, the Centroflot, the central democratic body of the fleet, which supports the Provisional Government, was located here. During the Great October Revolution, it was disbanded, and on October 26, on the initiative of V.I.Lenin, the Naval Revolutionary Committee (VMRK) was created, which mobilized the forces of the fleet to create and consolidate the Soviet state. VMRK was located in the wing of the Admiralty, facing the Bronze Horseman.

In 1932-1933, the building housed the Gas-Dynamic Laboratory - the first design bureau in the USSR for the development of rocket engines.

Since 1925, the building houses the F.E.Dzerzhinsky Higher Naval Engineering School. Until the end of 2008, the headquarters of the Red Banner Leningrad Naval Base was also located there.