The Tolstoy House is a well-known apartment building in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg, formerly known as Petrograd and later Leningrad, is the second-largest city in Russia after Moscow. It is situated on the River Neva, at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea. The city had a population of 5,601, ...

, located at 15-17 Rubinstein Street and 54

Fontanka Embankment The Fontanka Embankment () is a street in Saint Petersburg that follows the course of the Fontanka from its origin as it diverges from the Neva River up to its confluence with the Great Neva River, Great Neva. In 1762–1769 the general plan of c ...

. The building was constructed in 1910–1912 under the aegis of Major-General Count , nephew of the 1812 war hero P. A. Tolstoy. The architect Fyodor Lidval designed it in Nordic Art Nouveau. The construction is interesting for its inner street with three connected yards where the facades were decorated as richly as the front ones. Three-storey arches leading to the inner street are the architectural dominants of the compositions. After Tolstoy's death in 1913, ownership passed to his widow Countess Olga Tolstoy (born a princess of the Vasilchikov family, daughter of Prince Alexander Illarionovich Vasilchikov, a second in the famous 1841

duel A duel is an arranged engagement in combat between two people with matched weapons. During the 17th and 18th centuries (and earlier), duels were mostly single combats fought with swords (the rapier and later the small sword), but beginning in ...

between

Mikhail Lermontov Mikhail Yuryevich Lermontov ( , ; rus, Михаи́л Ю́рьевич Ле́рмонтов, , mʲɪxɐˈil ˈjʉrʲjɪvʲɪtɕ ˈlʲerməntəf, links=yes; – ) was a Russian Romanticism, Romantic writer, poet and painter, sometimes called ...

and Nikolai Martynov). For a century of its history, the building hosted numerous famous residents. In 2008, the house was made a .

History

Land and Owners

The data on this land goes back to the first quarter of the XIX century when it was owned by merchant's wife Nikulina. Her estate included four houses, sheds and barns, ice storage room, stables, orchards and vegetable garden. In 1860 the estate was bought out by Mariya Fyodorovna Ruadze; she ordered the house to be rebuilt in stone and connected to the outhouse wing. The reconstruction turned out to be so expensive that she had to borrow more than 190,000 roubles. In 1868 the estate was put up for auction and bought by Salomeya Akimova who in 1870 sold it to Gustav Frank. In 1889 countess Ekaterina Ignatyeva purchased the land and finally in the early XX century it was sold to Major-General Count . Mikhail Pavlovich was a nephew of the 1812 war hero P. A. Tolstoy. He also was a hero of several wars himself, for example, he fought in the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878, defended the

Shipka Pass Shipka Pass (, ) (el. 1150 m./3820 ft.) is a scenic mountain pass through the Balkan Mountains in Bulgaria. It marks the border between Stara Zagora province and Gabrovo province. The pass connects the towns of Gabrovo and Kazanlak. The ...

and was honoured with the

Order of St. George The Order of Saint George () is the highest military decoration of the Russian Federation. It was originally established on 26 November 1769 Julian (7 December 1769 Gregorian) as the highest military decoration of the Russian Empire for commiss ...

. Tolstoy commissioned Fyodor Lidval to build a profitable house, the project was approved by the client in March 1910. Mikhail Pavlovich didn't see his house finished because he died in 1913 in

Nice Nice ( ; ) is a city in and the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative city limits, with a population of nearly one millionFyodor Lidval designed a building of an unusual shape with the interconnected inner yards. He decorated inner facades as richly as did the front ones. The lower floor walls were layered with red bricks, the upper one — with grey plastering. The decorative elements such as sandrics and

arabesque The arabesque is a form of artistic decoration consisting of "surface decorations based on rhythmic linear patterns of scrolling and interlacing foliage, tendrils" or plain lines, often combined with other elements. Another definition is "Foliate ...

s were colored in yellow. Decorating facades of the backyard in the same manner as the front ones was uncommon for Petersburg. Three interconnected yards that create an inner street are colloquially called the Street of Lidval. Prominent Russian art historian finds the

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...

arches the most decorative part of the design. Made of limestone blocks, they are framed with pilasters and

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

s. Because of the irregular shape of the land, the inner street is angular and the yards open one after another, creating an unusual perspective effect. Lidval repeated this design in construction of the Nobel House on Lesnoy avenue, 20. According to his idea, the inner yards were to create the spirit of good-neighbourliness with a semi-private zone where the dwellers and the passers-by wouldn't be isolated from each other. The structure was conceived as a home for all classes, with apartments for people of all incomes, from modest to luxurious. The building was provided with the most modern amenities, it had air conditioning, ventilation and extraction systems, plumbing, electricity, telephone line, garbage disposal, and 19 elevators. For steam heating, 10 coal fired boilers were installed in the basement. 16 laundries, several billiard rooms, and a gym were opened for the dwellers. The building had 15 entrance halls, the 16th in the side wing was for personnel. Main staircases were decorated with mettlach tiles, patterned bars, and stained glass windows. The third entrance hall was for the budget rental studios usually rented by low-level clerks. The studios shared a hallway and restrooms, but each had its own kitchenette and a tiny alcove with washbasin. Before the

1917 Revolution The Russian Revolution was a period of political and social change in Russia, starting in 1917. This period saw Russia abolish its monarchy and adopt a socialist form of government following two successive revolutions and a civil war. It ...

,more than 1000 inhabitants lived in the Tolstoy house.

After revolution

The

Russian Civil War The Russian Civil War () was a multi-party civil war in the former Russian Empire sparked by the 1917 overthrowing of the Russian Provisional Government in the October Revolution, as many factions vied to determine Russia's political future. I ...

forced many inhabitants of the Tolstoy house to leave their homes, many of them left abroad. Many apartments were deserted and could be taken by anyone. After 1918, the building was

nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with priv ...

and the apartments were officially resettled as communal. On the contrary, some were repurposed as non-residential. For example, former apartment No. 108 was given to theater studio. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

apt. No 106 was used as a pillbox, the basements served as bombshelters. At least 17 residents were killed in battlefield, 329 died from hunger during the

Siege of Leningrad The siege of Leningrad was a Siege, military blockade undertaken by the Axis powers against the city of Leningrad (present-day Saint Petersburg) in the Soviet Union on the Eastern Front (World War II), Eastern Front of World War II from 1941 t ...

. After the war, the inner street was significantly altered: driveways were made, the lawns were planted with poplars, and a statue was installed in the fountain. Thus was lost Lidval's original concept of an internal street. The Tolstoy House appeared as a setting in numerous Russian films. Most of

Igor Maslennikov Igor Fyodorovich Maslennikov (; 26 October 1931 – 17 September 2022)
was a Soviet and Russian film director.

B ...

's 1985 film ''

Winter Cherry ''Winter Cherry'' () is a 1985 romantic comedy directed by Igor Maslennikov. Plot The main character of the film is Olga ( Yelena Safonova), a beautiful intelligent 30-year-old woman, resident of Soviet Leningrad who is a scientific research ...

'' takes place in the Tolstoy House, in its yards, or near it. In this film, the Tolstoy House serves as a kind of actor itself, playing up to the stars of the film and creating a certain mood. Maslennikov also used the Tolstoy House in his ''

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson ''The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson'' () is a series of Soviet television films portraying Arthur Conan Doyle's fictional English detective, starting in 1979. They were directed by Igor Maslennikov. Overview Between 1979 and 198 ...

'' series of television films to stand in for parts of Holmes's

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

. Other films using the Tolstoy House include ''A Doctor Called?'', Could One Imagine?, , and Gangster Petersburg. In 1987 more than 3000 residents lived in 327 apartments of the Tolstoy house. After the

dissolution of the Soviet Union The Soviet Union was formally dissolved as a sovereign state and subject of international law on 26 December 1991 by Declaration No. 142-N of the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union. Declaration No. 142-Н of ...

, many apartments were privatized, some were leased as offices. In 1970 the building was designated an Architectural Monument of Regional Significance. In 1988 it became a part of

UNESCO World Heritage Site World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an treaty, international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural ...

number 540,

Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments The Historic Centre of Saint Petersburg and Related Groups of Monuments is the name used by UNESCO when it collectively designated the historic core of the Russian city of St. Petersburg, as well as buildings and ensembles located in the immediat ...

. However, in 2008, after reducing the buffer zone, the status of the building has been downgraded to Zone Controlled Building.

XXI century

By 2013, 300 apartments were registered in the building. By 2016, the wear and tear of the structure was estimated 40%, however the outside decorations and utilities were in a poor state. Some sculptures were restored in 2012. In 2021 a museum dedicated to all residents of the house was opened in the basement.

Famous residents

Past residents

Aleksandr Kuprin Aleksandr Ivanovich Kuprin (; – 25 August 1938) was a Russian writer best known for his novels ''The Duel'' (1905)Kuprin scholar Nicholas Luker, in his biography ''Alexander Kuprin'', calls ''The Duel'' his "greatest masterpiece" (ch ...

(1870–1938), writer. Trained at the "Sanitas" athletic club located in the building, and may have lived in the building. * Alexander Spiridovich (1873–1952), Major General, Chief of the Imperial Palace Guards. After the October Revolution he went into exile, where he wrote several books of memoirs and studies of Russian political parties. He died in New York City. *

Arkady Averchenko Arkady Timofeevich Averchenko (; 27 March 1881 – 12 March 1925) was a Russian playwright and satire, satirist. He published his stories in the journal ''Satirikon'', of which he was also an editor, in the series of ''Novyi Satirikon, New Sati ...

, writer, satirist and a theater critic. Averchenko lived in the building in the years 1914-1917, in apartment 203. * (1868-1962) lived in the apt. № 157 in 1912-1917. * , a famous weighlifter, lived in the Tolstoy house before 1917. * Count Mikhail Andronikov lived in apt. № 359 in 1912-1916. He was ill-reputed for his frequent loud parties and sketchy acquaintances.

Grigori Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian Mysticism, mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II of Russia, Nicholas II, the last Emperor of all the Russias, Emperor of Russia, th ...

was a frequent guest of Andronikov's home, one of assassination attempts on him took place in Tolstoy house. Count Andronikov was evicted from the building in 1916 by order of landlady Olga Tolstaya. *Alexander Belosludtsev (1961–2004), painter, graphic designer, and photographer, editor of a six-volume collected works of

Anna Akhmatova Anna Andreyevna Gorenko rus, А́нна Андре́евна Горе́нко, p=ˈanːə ɐnˈdrʲe(j)ɪvnə ɡɐˈrʲɛnkə, a=Anna Andreyevna Gorenko.ru.oga, links=yes; , . ( – 5 March 1966), better known by the pen name Anna Akhmatova,. ...

. *Boris Z. Kraychik (born 1928; deceased), engineer and writer, author of the children's book ''What Happened at the Hermitage'', friend of Igor S. Kon and S. D. Dovlatov. * (1891–1984), owner and editor of the

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

publishing house Alkonost. * Yevgeny Rein (born 1935) poet and disciple of Anna Akhmatova who was included in the 1960s group " Akhmatova's Orphans". Members of his circle who visited him at Tolstoy House included Akhmatova, D. Monakhov, V. Britanishsky, S. Dovlatov, J. Brodsky, A.Naiman, G. Gorbovsky, and A. Kushner. *Ekaterina Panzhenskij (1984–2009), designer and photographer. She created a series of photographs of the Tolstoy House, many portraits of artists and musicians (e.g. Nikas Safronov, M. S. Vspyshkin), and several book covers. She lived in apartment 263. *Galina Kremshevskaya (Saint George-Kremshevskaya) (1912–1996), dancer and ballet critic, wife of Michael S. George. Author of books on the

Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet The Vaganova Academy of Russian Ballet is a school of classical ballet in St Petersburg, Russia. Established in 1738 during the reign of Empress Anna, the academy was known as the Imperial Ballet School until the Soviet era, when, after a brief h ...

(which she attended) and the outstanding ballerinas T. M. Vecheslovoy and N. M. Dudinskaya. *

Mariss Jansons Mariss Ivars Georgs Jansons (14 January 1943 – 1 December 2019) was a Latvian Conducting, conductor, best known for his interpretations of Gustav Mahler, Mahler, Richard Strauss, Strauss, and Russian composers such as Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, ...

(1943–2019), conductor. *M. B. Polyakin, violinist and educator, lived in the house in the years 1928-1936. * Mikhail Manevich, vice-governor of St. Petersburg (1996–1997). Lived in the building until his murder in 1997. *Dmitry Matveevich Pozdneev, a professor, Orientalis, and collector, resided in apt. 660. Pozdneev was an uncle of

Mikhail Bulgakov Mikhail Afanasyevich Bulgakov ( ; rus, links=no, Михаил Афанасьевич Булгаков, p=mʲɪxɐˈil ɐfɐˈnasʲjɪvʲɪdʑ bʊlˈɡakəf; – 10 March 1940) was a Russian and Soviet novelist and playwright. His novel ''The M ...

and became a protagonist of

Woland Woland () is a fictional character in the novel ''The Master and Margarita'' by the Russian (Soviet) author Mikhail Bulgakov, written between 1928 and 1940. Woland is the mysterious foreigner and professor whose visit to Moscow sets the plot rolli ...

The Master and Margarita ''The Master and Margarita'' () is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, written in the Soviet Union between 1928 and 1940. A censored version, with several chapters cut by editors, was published posthumously in ''Moscow (magazine), Moscow'' magazine in ...

. *P.M. Benyash (1914–1986), Soviet-era drama and theater critic. *Prince Mikhail Mikhailovich Andronicus (1875–1919), famous adventurer and member of

Rasputin Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin ( – ) was a Russian mystic and faith healer. He is best known for having befriended the imperial family of Nicholas II, the last Emperor of Russia, through whom he gained considerable influence in the final ye ...

's circle. He was evicted from the Tolstoy House in 1916 by court decision following a lawsuit by the landlady (Countess Tolstoy), who did not like Rasputin and his followers visiting the building. *Puryshev Arkady Konstantinovich, hereditary honorary citizen, businessman, monarchist, prominent collector. His wife and daughter were members of the Union of Russian Women. According to the memoirs of his adopted grandson (son of his stepson), the writer L. Panteleyev, he lived in the Tolstoy House. *S. G. Kalmanovich (1947–2009), businessman and sports manager. *Tatyana I. Satz (Kolesnikova) (born 1964), world-class gymnast, coach of the Leningrad gymnasts (1984–1990). Silver medalist of the world, two-time champion of the USSR, five-time champion of Leningrad. Lived in Tolstoy House in the 1990s. * (1887–1937), poet and revolutionary. A writer of satirical topical poems and author of the lyrics to the song ''March of the Commune'' (chorus: "Never, never, never, never will we be slaves to the commune...", inspired by the lyrics of the British anthem ''Rule, Britannia!''). Before his arrest he lived in apartment 301. *Vladimir G. Garshin (1887–1974), professor,

pathologist Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

, academician of the Academy of Medical Sciences (1945), a nephew of

Vsevolod Garshin Vsevolod Mikhailovich Garshin (; 14 February 1855 – 5 April 1888) was a Russian author of short stories. Life Garshin was the son of an officer, from a family tracing its roots back to a 15th-century prince, who entered into the service of I ...

and a friend of Anna Akhmatova. He lived in apartment number 459 during the

, as the chief pathologist of Leningrad. *Zoya Petrovna Samoletova (1930–1999), twice member of the

Supreme Soviet The Supreme Soviet () was the common name for the legislative bodies (parliaments) of the Soviet socialist republics (SSR) in the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). These soviets were modeled after the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, establ ...

, member of the

Council of the Union The Soviet of the Union (, ''Sovet Soyuza''; , ''İttifaqı Soveti''; ; , Moldovan Cyrillic: ; ; ; ; ; , ''Bileleşigiň Geňeşi''; ) was the lower chamber of the Supreme Soviet of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, elected on the basi ...

, seamstress and Brigadier of the ''Bolshevichka'' garment production association. Lived in the Tolstoy House in the 1940s and 1950s. *

Eduard Khil Eduard Anatolyevich Khil (; 4 September 1934 – 4 June 2012), often anglicized as Edward Hill, was a Russian baritone singer. Khil became known to international audiences in 2010, when a 1976 clip of him singing a non-lexical vocable versio ...

, singer most famously known for appearing in the "Trololo" video, which was recorded in 1968 and later went viral in 2009. Khil lived in the Tolstoy house from 1980 till 2012.

Recent and current residents

* Andrey Petrovich Gagarin (1934—2011), doctor of technical sciences, professor at STU, a descendant of the princes Gagarin and chairman of the St. Petersburg branch of the provincial nobility. *Bella Moiseyevna Kupsina, producer for

Alexander Rosenbaum Alexander Yakovlevich Rosenbaum People's Artist of Russia, PAR (, ''Aleksandr Jakovlevič Rozenbaum'') (born September 13, 1951) is a Russian Bard (Soviet Union), bard from Saint Petersburg. Among his most famous songs are the ones about Saint ...

. *

Irina Kolpakova Irina Aleksandrovna Kolpakova (; born 22 May 1933)Brief biography at ''He ...

(born 1935), ballerina. She has been active in the effort to preserve the historical appearance of the Tolstoy House. *V. G. Semyonov (born 1932), dancer, teacher, People's Artist of the USSR. He lives with his wife Irina Kolpakova in the Tolstoy House. *, director of the

Mikhaylovsky Theatre The Mikhailovsky Theatre () is one of Russia's oldest opera and ballet houses. It was founded in 1833 and occupies a Brulleau-designed building on 1, Arts Square in Saint Petersburg. It is named after Grand Duke Michael Pavlovich of Russia. S ...

. *Vladimir Kiselev, producer of the band

Zemlyane Zemlyane () is a Soviet and later Russian rock band, formed in Leningrad in 1978. Most of their lyrics deal with risk, courage, and masculinity. In 2009, Zemlyane's 1980s hit " Trava u doma" () became the first official anthem of the Russian s ...

References

Literature

* * * * * * * * * * {{Authority control Buildings and structures in Saint Petersburg Houses completed in 1912 National Romantic architecture in Russia Art Nouveau architecture in Saint Petersburg Art Nouveau apartment buildings 1912 establishments in the Russian Empire Cultural heritage monuments of regional significance in Saint Petersburg