Originally the Mausoleum was wooden. After the death of the leader in 1924, it was decided to preserve the image of Lenin and erect a mausoleum on Red Square. The project of the first mausoleum belonged to A.Shusev. In April of the same year it was built. In form, it corresponded to the present Mausoleum. To the construction were added rostrums. The sarcophagus for the coffin was designed by the architect Melnikov. He served until the end of the Great Patriotic War. The entrance to the mausoleum was guarded by an honor guard. A new building of the Mausoleum made of stone was built according to the project of the same architect Shchusev. The exterior was faced with marble and granite. On the sides of the structure, tribunes were built for members of the government, from which they welcomed demonstrators and watched military parades. Inside the building there is a mourning hall. Its area is 1000 square meters.
