His Imperial Majesty's Own Dacha (Old Dacha)

Krestovka River Embankment, 7, Saint Petersburg, Russia, 197376

His Imperial Majesty's Own Dacha on Kamenniy Island is a monument of wooden architecture from the Classicism period.

Petersburg: Mansions and Summer Houses of Kamenny Island

Since 1809, this plot on the embankment of the Krestovka River belonged to collegiate assessor I. Hepner. By 1811, architect Pilnikov had built a small one-story house for him. In 1817, the dacha was sold to the court steward Opochinin, and from 1820 it was rented by Grand Duke Mikhail Pavlovich.

The dacha was severely damaged during the 1824 flood. Its restoration in 1825–1826 was overseen by architect Karl Rossi, while Pyotr Buk handled the overall site planning and garden layout. After that, the owner of the dacha became Tsar Nicholas I. Under his reign, the dacha was once again reconstructed according to a project by architect L.I. Charlemagne (1827–1829), updating the interiors. It was rebuilt again in 1887–1890 by architect Alexander Ivanovich Semyonov, and in 1894 architect Stukolkin carried out a partial re-planning. In the early 20th century, he also added carved cornices to the architectural decor.

During the Soviet era, the houses at Krestovka Embankment, 7 and 11, housed the Kirov Rest Home.

By 2007, the building was almost completely ruined, having stood for several years without heating and with broken windows and doors. The park became overgrown, and most of the trees died. From 2007 to 2013, the facades were reconstructed as part of the restoration and re-planning of the building. At the same time, the park surrounding the building was recreated. It is now a private residence.

Sources:

https://www.citywalls.ru/house2491.html

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