University Printing

Initially, the printing house was located in the building on Mokhovaya Street purchased for Moscow University (1756-1757). Then she was transferred to the house at the Resurrection Gate (in 1757–1789), then to the building of the university noble guesthouse in Gazetny Lane (in 1789–1811). Since 1811, she was in the "house of Vlasov" on Passion Boulevard.

At the university printing house, which opened in 1756, there was a bookshop and a foundry (from 1757). By the time of the opening, the printing house had fonts, machines, 60 poods of letters from the Petersburg Academy of Sciences ; A compositor with two students was also sent from St. Petersburg. Soldiers' children of the Butyrsky regiment were assigned to the printing house as workers after special training ^[2] .

In 1779, M. M. Kheraskov , curator of Moscow University, suggested that N. I. Novikov should rent a university printing press. At that time, the university printing house was located on the second floor above the Resurrection Gate . The printing house was leased to Novikov for a period of 10 years - from May 1, 1779 to May 1, 1789 with an annual payment of 4,500 rubles. He expanded it considerably and in less than three years he published more books in it than how many came out of it in the 24 years of its former existence. The printing house during this period became the best printing institution not only in Russia, but also in Europe. Already in the first year forty-five editions were published, including “Emil and Sofia” by Jean-Jacques Rousseau , the comedies of M. Kheraskov , the complete works of A. P. Sumarokov , textbooks on various disciplines; in two years the number of publications reached 73 titles, among them:

• A. G. Levshin. The Word at the Appeal of Schismatics in the Moscow Great Assumption Cathedral
• F. G. Dilthey The Initial Foundations of the Bill of Exchange Law
• I. V. Lopukhin Reasoning about the abuse of reason by some new writers, and the refutation of their harmful rules

In the university's printing house, Novikov published his own magazine, Morning Light ^[3], and the only Moscow newspaper at the time, Moscow Gazette , which was published from the first months of the printing house's work. Together with Moskovskiye Vedomosti, free applications were regularly released, including Economic Store , which was edited by A. T. Bolotov ; N. M. Karamzin and A. A. Petrov edited another application, “Children's Reading for the Heart and Mind”. Novikov published here and the masonic magazine "Evening Dawn" (1782). Novikov’s lease was terminated in 1789 by the highest decree before the expiration of the term and without the right of renewal.

Printing house brought Moscow University income, which was used for educational and scientific purposes. Almost half of this income was for a subscription to the newspaper Moscow Gazette and the publication in it of announcements; income in the XVIII century. ranged from 4.5 to 9 thousand rubles a year (according to other sources - 23 thousand rubles, in the 1st half of the XIX century - over 40 thousand rubles in silver annually. 40–45% of this amount was paid for subscription to The newspaper Moskovskiye Vedomosti and the publication of advertisements in it ^[4] . Financial considerations prompted individuals to rent the printing house from time to time: from the 1770s to 1806, in 1863-1908 and 1913. The most famous tenants of the printing house were N. I. Novikov, M.N. Katkov and P.M. Leontiev .

At the beginning of the XIX century on the books produced by the printing house it was stated: “At the University Printing House at Christopher Claudia” (see T.N. Borispolts Poems ) or “At the University Printing House at Lubiy, Garia and Popov” (see “Road Calendar” ). At that time, the printing house was located in the house of the university noble guest house - on the corner of Tverskaya Street and Uspensky Lane (which, according to the shop located here, was already called the Gazetny Street in the 1820s). The printing house had its own typographic mark - uppercase letters “T. M. U. "enclosed in an oval frame. The sign was placed on the back of the title page. At the printing house there was a library formed from the editions of Moscow University, as well as from the literature drawn up for the preparation for printing of the Moscow Gazette and magazines.

In 1806-1863 the printing house was subordinate to the University Board . On the titles of all publications was placed mark "I. M. U. T." (Imperial Moscow University Printing House). Revenues from publications were one of the main sources that allowed the university to support teaching and research at the proper level. An astronomical observatory was built on these revenues and astronomical instruments were acquired, an anatomical theater was built, the first chemical laboratory was created, a “new” university building was bought ... ^[5] . Of the same amounts, the university spent 218 thousand rubles on the public library and the Rumyantsev Museum, the construction of the 4th gymnasium, the Nobility Institute. In the years 1830-1840 up to 145 thousand rubles were transferred to the War Ministry and the Ministry of Public Education ^[4] .

Over the years, the printing house has significantly expanded its activities, the equipment has been replenished with new printing machines, a new stone building has been built on ul. Big Dmitrovka. In 1806, the Rules were adopted for the production of the affairs of the printing house of Moscow University (revised in 1851). At the head of the printing house was the head, the staff included his assistant,factor , publisher of political statements with an assistant, proofreaders, workers, caretakers of workers. Employees - officials - often recruited from university graduates. A third of the workers in the XVIII - 1st half of the XIX century. came from the serfs (sons of workers assigned to the printing house), the rest were from the clergy, children of officials, freed peasants, tradesmen. The number of artisans in the late 1750s. - 78 people, in the 1st half of the XIX century. - from 158 to 170 people ^[6] .

In the XIX century. improved technical base printing. The number of printing presses grew: in 1794 - 10, in 1811 - 24, in 1833 - 34, in 1849 - 26. The university printing house was the first in Moscow to open a flat printing department (1822). In 1836, two fast-printing machines were acquired, in 1849 there were already 6 cars. In 1865 steam engines appeared, replacing the spinning workers. In terms of production, the printing house of Moscow University stood out among similar city institutions. From printed in departmental printing houses of Moscow for 1800-1850. six thousand titles of books and magazines, two thirds came from the university printing. During this period, it ranked first in the country in the number of printed products.

In 1863, the University Council , taking into account that the content of the printing house was threatened with losses, decided to lease and the printing house and the Moscow Gazette published in them. The tenants were elected by the Council professors M.N. Katkov and P.M. Leontyev ; the contract with them was signed on April 8, 1863, and in 1875 the contract was renewed for another 12 years. In the future, Petrovsky and V. A. Gringmut became tenants of the printing house and newspaper.

From the time the printing house was leased (in 1863), the university actually lost all the revenues previously received from the printing house, and the entire rent began to be paid in full in the income estimates of the Ministry of Public Education . In 1908–1912 the printing house after a long lease temporarily returned to the Council and the Board of the University, but in 1913 it was again leased due to the growth of debts and the impossibility of its maintenance by the administration.

After the 1917 revolution, the printing house ceased its work for a long time.

The complex of buildings of the university printing house was located at the corner of Bolshaya Dmitrovka (d. 34) and Passionate Boulevard (d. 10).

Currently, the complex includes buildings of three different eras. In the 17th century, there were several manors here, but after the 1730s, two were left — the Talyzins and the Vlases.

In the 1760s, a stone house appeared on the Vlasov site, overlooking the passage of the White City . In 1811, the estate Vlasov was acquired for the University Printing . Instead of the building that burnt down in 1812 in 1816-1817, an Empire style building, the editorial building, was built according to the project of N. P. Sobolevsky with the participation of F. O. Buzhinsky. The building received strict, weighted forms, a rusticated lower floor with characteristic masks in the castle stones of the windows, with stucco decorative inlays over the windows of the second floor, the facade was marked by a portico with 6 powerful semi-columns.

The main building along the boulevard has two floors, with entresols and two entrances into the courtyard, one to two floors, and the other to three, built in 1817 ... Above one of the entrances of this building in 1830 a third floor was built, a stone staircase was made ... In the lower the floor of this building houses: a bookshop about 3 rooms, a dispensing shop with stores for storing paper and books in 6 rooms, and two kitchens for the officials living in this building; in the upper floor and entresol are placed by the apartments of the printing house ...

- Report on the states and actions of the Imperial Moscow University for the 1835/6 academic and 1836 civil years.

The university bookshop in 1806-1812 was rented by Inikhov, Bazunov, Perepletychikov. However, after the fire of 1812, A. S. Shiryaev won it in competition; A. S. Pushkin visited his shop. The apartment of the editor of Moscow News , Prince P. I. Shalikov, was located on the second floor of the building.

In 1818, the Talyzins' manor was annexed. On the site of the buildings damaged in the fire of 1812 , by 1822 the Printing House was built according to the design of architect D. G. Grigoriev . “Imagine a long hall, in which a wall of a printing house, a desk of typesetters, a desk for proofreaders and other officials are located in an amazing manner. Letters of different fonts for languages: Russian, German, Latin, French, English, Italian, Greek, Jewish and Arabic; The speed, cleanliness and serviceability with which books, magazines, etc. are printed here deserve attention, ”the corpus was described in 1831. Its long facade in the middle part is plastically marked with a heavy crowning cornice and stucco frieze, and the windows have arched ends with decorative shells inscribed in them, the side wings are decorated with rust. In the lower floor there were a type-setting and a teredornaya chamber, in the upper one there was an office and a corrective one.

In 1841, the university’s report stated: “The university printing house <...> has six stone residential buildings covered with iron. The 1st Main Building along the boulevard has two floors with entresols ... ” ^[7] .

During World War II , a bomb hit the center of the typographical complex, without damaging the most valuable buildings, including the stone single-storey chambers of the late 17th century, located in the courtyard. They were discovered by restorers when, in the 1960s, the buildings of the university typographic complex were placed under the All-Russian Theater Society (WTO). In 1966, a project was created that preserved dilapidated chambers, but it was not implemented. Despite the fact that they were assigned to cultural heritage sites (historical and cultural monuments) of federal significance, after 2003 they were eliminated, and a concrete "replica" was erected in their place, where the fitness center is now located ^{[8] [9]}

• Libson V.Ya., Domshlak M.I. and others. White City // Monuments of Architecture of Moscow . - M .: Art, 1989. - p. 162-163. - 380 s. - 50 000 copies
• University Printing House // Moscow. Encyclopedic reference. - M .: Great Russian Encyclopedia, 1992.
• Antonova N. L. Avdotino. - M .: "Moscow Worker" , 1991. - pp. 28-30. - 76 s. - (Monuments near Moscow). - 25 000 copies - ISBN 5-239-01179-6 .
• Imperial Moscow University: 1755-1917: encyclopedic dictionary / project authors, compilers: A. Yu. Andreev, D. A. Tsygankov. - Moscow : Russian Political Encyclopedia (ROSSPEN), 2010. - p. 715-716. - 894 s. - 2 000 copies - ISBN 978-5-8243-1429-8 .