The unchanging "lions at the gates," celebrated by Pushkin in "Eugene Onegin," guard one of the most remarkable houses on Tverskaya. This is the only classical facade on the street that has not been altered by later reconstructions. The building impresses not only from the outside but also from the inside, where one can enjoy historical interiors.

The English Club was the largest gentlemen's assembly in Moscow, known for card games, lavish dinners, and political discussions. Its motto, "Concordia et laetitia," means "harmony and joy." Joining the club was not easy: it held elite status, and new members were accepted through secret ballot and only by recommendation. There were many aspiring members: with a membership of 300 to 400 people, around a thousand candidates awaited their turn. A spot would open not only in the case of a member's death or resignation but also for rule violations, such as failure to pay card debts. In such cases, the debtor's name was recorded on a special blackboard.

History and Owners

The old estate, owned by M.M. Kheraskov, was purchased by Lev Kirillovich Razumovsky. The main house was built in 1777-1780, and then in 1806-1811, architect A.A. Menelas added the left and right wings. As a result, the palace acquired a completed appearance of a classicist estate with a wide ceremonial courtyard and a stone fence with lions at the gates. The house suffered during the French occupation of Moscow in 1812 and was reconstructed in 1814-1817 by architect D. Zhilyardi. After Razumovsky's death, his widow transferred ownership to his brother, Prince N.G. Vyazemsky, who sold it to the English Club. The club moved to the Razumovsky estate on Tverskaya in 1831.

During World War I, part of the premises was converted into a military hospital. In 1917, the English Club was closed, and the building became a museum. After the February Revolution, the idea of creating a Museum of the Revolution emerged, which opened in 1922 as the "Red Moscow" exhibition. It was later transformed into the Historical-Revolutionary Museum of Moscow, and in 1998 it became the State Central Museum of Contemporary History of Russia. The permanent exhibition is dedicated to the events of the 20th century, and temporary exhibitions are also held.

Reconstruction and Restoration

Research in 1995 showed that in the first half of the 19th century, figures of reclining lions were installed on the fence of the Razumovsky house, facing each other. There were four figures, and two more lions were possibly added after the establishment of the English Club in 1831. In 1912, when creating the trading rows, the gates were moved, altering the design of the pilasters and gates. Two lions removed from the gates were placed in front of the main entrance. In 1926, the fence was restored to its original appearance, returning the lattice panels and installing all six lions. In 1940, during the expansion of Gorky Street, the fence was moved to the new red line, adding spikes to the design of the gate lattice.

In 2015, a comprehensive restoration of the fence was carried out. Some of the lattices, especially the central one, had losses of spikes, deformation, and deviations from verticality. Architectural details and elements of the gate pilasters were hidden under layers of plaster and whitewash, and the figures of the lions had lost their original appearance. During the restoration, cleaning from pollution, stone reinforcement, loss replenishment, and conservation of elements were conducted.