History
Staraya Square emerged as the city street inside the Kitai-gorod fortress wall; a parallel street outside the wall is named Kitaisky Lane (as there are no buildings in this lane, the name has fallen out of usage). The wall was built in 1530s, and demolished in 1934.
Throughout the 19th century, Staraya Square and northbound Novaya Square frequently interchanged their names, confusing Muscovites and visitors; modern usage settled down in early 20th century. In 1899, the city closed down the flea markets around the fortress wall. Before the outbreak of World War I, the Moscow Merchant Society had rebuilt Staraya Square with a chain of grand office buildings such as an Art Nouveau example, Boyarsky Dvor (by Fyodor Schechtel), and neoclassical 4, Staraya Square (by Vladimir Sherwood Jr.). Since 1918, they have been occupied by Soviet and presently Russian federal institutions.
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