Construction of the facility began in 1951, in connection with the early threat of nuclear war with the United States. The underground complex was built using the same technique that was used in the construction of the Moscow Metro subway, which is connected by two tunnels. The first tunnel was used to supply the facility and connects to the subway at Taganskaya (circle line) station. The second tunnel connects to the technical areas of Taganskaya. In 1956, the facility operated as an emergency command post headquarters of the
Moscow Air Defence District (PVO) communication center. Personnel at the facility, including technical staff, were changed over every 24 hours. The staff worked in short shifts in order to stay alert and prevent combat anxiety. According to recollections of veterans, many of the staff members worked for various other institutions, including the central telegraph, radio studio, and geodetic laboratory. In the 1960s, the bunker was equipped with everything needed to continue operating in the event of a nuclear attack, including food, fuel, and two
artesian wells to provide clean drinking water for an extended period of time.
Transfer to private ownership In 2006, the bunker was put up for public auction by the Russian
Federal Agency for State Property Management. It was purchased by a private company, Novik-Servis (Новик-Сервис) for 65 million rubles and turned into a museum called "экспозицио́нный ко́мплекс Бу́нкер-42" (jekspoziciónnyj kómpleks Búnker-42), opened in 2006. ==Capacity==