Boat house

After the conclusion of the Northern War in 1721, Peter I decided to transport the small boat from Moscow to Petersburg. In 1723, the boat solemnly arrived in the capital. Initially, a canopy was built for it in the fortress, but from 1728 it was stored in the casemates of the fortress. In 1761, Peter’s boat — known as the "grandfather of the Russian fleet" — was decided to be moved to a small pavilion called the Botny House. The Governing Senate decreed to build it near the bell tower of the Peter and Paul Cathedral, on the site of the granaries and sheds of the Chancellery buildings. The pavilion’s design was entrusted to Alexander Vist, a student of M. G. Zemtsov.

I. E. Grabar mentioned the first project of the Botny House, developed by M. G. Zemtsov in 1732, and considered it, referring to I. I. Pushkaryov, to have been realized. Subsequently, this version was neither developed nor was it even categorically rejected, but the building itself clearly shows typical reminiscences of M. G. Zemtsov’s work in the style of Petrine Baroque: characteristic framed casings with curls, small window glazing, a high roof "with a break" in the Dutch manner, and pilasters of the Tuscan order.

A. F. Vist presented two options for consideration to the Governing Senate: a classical one and one in the forms of Petrine Baroque. The second option was approved by the Senate on August 10 [21], 1761.

Construction began in 1762 and lasted five years, with the budget nearly doubling: from 3,847 rubles 25 kopecks to 6,082 rubles 97½ kopecks. In July 1767, Empress Catherine II ordered the boat to be moved into the new pavilion "without any ceremony." The architect miscalculated the size of the door opening, so it was necessary to dismantle the opening and walls of the house to bring the boat inside.

In 1928, the boat was transferred to Peterhof, and in 1940 it was included in the exhibition of the Central Naval Museum. During the Great Patriotic War, in 1941, an incendiary bomb hit the pavilion; the fire was extinguished, and only the roof structures were damaged.

For the 300th anniversary of the Russian fleet, a full-scale copy of the "Grandfather of the Russian Fleet" was made. This vessel participated in the naval parade on the Neva on July 26, 1996, and since 1997 has been installed in the Botny House. Initially, a wooden statue of Navigation, painted with oil paint, was installed on the pavilion. Since 1891, the building has been crowned with a terracotta statue by sculptor David Jensen. The facade of the building was originally painted gray; in 1968 it was repainted yellow.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ботный_дом