13 Akademika Pavlova St., Saint Petersburg, Russia, 197022
The first tenant of this plot was Court Councillor Kusov in 1808, who built a luxurious wooden summer house along the axis of the Grand Canal—the main compositional spine of Kamenniy Island. In 1831, it passed to Princess Golitsyna, twenty years later to Count Vorontsov-Dashkov, and four years after that to Grand Duchess Elena Pavlovna. In 1863, a house (summer residence) was built here for Apraksin according to the design of architect Chernik.
In 1873, the plot was acquired by hereditary nobleman A. M. Serebryakov. Under him, a wooden summer house was built in the western part of the territory, and the garden was landscaped. The tenants of the plot remained his heirs until the end of the 19th century.
In 1901, the summer house passed to the actress of the Imperial Theatres, Elizaveta Lvovna Leonova, for whom architect Kovsharov designed a rich two-story mansion with a tower. The drawings were approved in 1902. The realized version by the same architect is more intimate in scale. The building has a compact plan, symmetrical facade composition, with architectural solutions stylized in the forms of early classicism ("Louis XVI style") and Renaissance. The volumetric-spatial solution with projections of risalits, terraces, balconies, and a bay window is connected to the surrounding space, dominated by the wide water surface of the Malaya Nevka.
The two-story vestibule is decorated with oak panels tinted to resemble mahogany. The large dining room, buffet, billiard room, and dance hall are located on the first floor. Built-in furniture has been preserved in these rooms. The second-floor rooms—a living room, boudoir, and bedroom—feature stucco decoration. The latter is adorned with a painted ceiling depicting fans. Leonova’s summer house is one of the examples of late eclectic architecture with comprehensive preservation of interiors, including furniture sets and dining tableware services.
Leonova’s summer house is one of the examples of late eclectic architecture with comprehensive preservation of interiors, including furniture sets and dining tableware services.
1918 – the building was transferred to the social welfare department to house Children's Labor Colony No. 5 named after Lunacharsky.
Late 1920s – transferred to the jurisdiction of the Leningrad Regional Committee of the VKP; during the Soviet period, it was known as the K-0 residence.
1932 – assigned to the first secretary of the regional committee, Kirov, then transferred to the next secretary, Zhdanov; after him, Grigory Romanov lived there.
In the 1930s, Stalin lived in the building.
During the Great Patriotic War, Kamenniy Island became a defensive line of the city. Holiday homes and mansions were converted into hospitals.
During the Soviet and Perestroika periods, the building changed hands repeatedly. In 1991, the building was leased by the joint venture "Kopal," and from the following year by "Russian Video." After its liquidation, the authorities leased the mansion to the company "Transnefteprodukt" (TNP), which registered in Saint Petersburg and planned to establish its headquarters on Kamenniy Island. However, the investor lost the auction organized by Smolny, and the property was sold at auction for $7.9 million to individual entrepreneur Nikolay Kazakov.
The main volume of reconstruction work on the building was completed in 2018, during which the tower lost during the Soviet era was restored. Another three years were spent on interior work.
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