On this date in 1763, Catherine the Great endorsed Ivan Betskoy's plans for Воспитательный дом в Москве (The Moscow Orphange), also known as the Foundling Home. This idealistic experiment of the Age of Enlightenment was intended to create "ideal citizens" for the Russian state, by bringing up thousands of abandoned children to a very high standard of refinement, cultivation, and professional qualifications. Despite more than adequate staffing and financing, the orphanage suffered high infant mortality and initially failed as a social institution. The main building, one of the earliest and largest Neoclassical structures in the city, occupies a large portion of Moskvoretskaya Embankment between the Kremlin and Yauza River, boasting a 379-metre frontage on Moskva River. The complex was built two centuries, from Karl Blank's master plan (1767) to its complete implementation in the 1940s. Today, the ensemble of the Orphanage houses the Academy of Missile Forces and Russian Academy of Medicine. The institution was not damaged during Napoleon I's occupation of Moscow, despite its proximity to the Fire of Moscow, which completely destroyed the adjacent districts. By the 1830s, the Orphanage finally achieved the goal of taking the ablest children from the streets and preparing them for state service and professional careers. Until the Russian Revolution of 1917, the Moscow Orphanage ranked among the most prominent national charities. The Bolsheviks disbanded the Orphanage immediately after the Revolution. During Joseph Stalin's reconstruction of old Moscow (1937), several Orphanage buildings were torn down to make way for the new Bolshoy Ustinsky Bridge. The main building conforms quite closely to Blank's original designs. Credits: https://w.wiki/U7dX Photo: https://w.wiki/U7da A. Savin 2018 Free Art License Today I joined the club B ride from the Riverwalk up to the end of Glen Canyon Road, always a demanding route. I rode the Straggler, since the route went down Bean Creek Road, which is bumpy enough to be more comfortable on the gravel tires. I last climbed Glen Canyon in June, when I was preparing for the Giro Bello Century. It was easier back then: I haven't been riding consistently between the flat tours in New York and since getting back. I was glad to complete the climb easily today, if not as easily as back then. I felt a few twinges from my surgery, but they went away quickly. For today's ride, I parked my van at Garfield Park on the west side of Santa Cruz and biked over to the Riverwalk for the start. I don't like to leave the van unattended, but Garfield Park feels like a safe spot. I chose a sunny parking space, so the solar panel finished charging up the power bank before I got back. A very pleasant day!