The building, a prime architectural ornament of the city, follows the canons of classical antiquity: its height and width are identical (22 metres (72 ft)), and its length (220 metres (720 ft)) is exactly ten times its width. n the middle of the 18th Century the site was occupied with gardens and outbuildings of the Vorontsov Palace and the Anichkov Palace. At the end of the 18th Century the plot was sold and design work for the site was begun in 1816 by the Committee for Structures and Hydraulic Works. All five buildings on Rossi Street were designed by Carlo Rossi and build between 1828 and 1834. #2 was built in 1832.