This station is named in honour of Pyotr Kropotkin the prince turned anarchist who was born nearby. It was opened in 1935. Before 1957 the station was called Dvorets Sovetov (Palace of Soviets) as there were plans to build a massive Palace of Soviets where the reconstructed Christ the Savious Cathedral now stands. The station's hall was planned to serve as the underground vestibule of the palace. Because of the war the project never came to fruition and instead an open-air swimming pool was built which remained there until 1994. The station's design however was awarded the grand prize at the international exhibition in Brussels in 1935 and in Paris in 1937 for architecture and construction. The ceiling of the station's hall is supported by two rows of decahedral columns finishes with marble which was taken from the demolished Christ the Saviour Cathedral.