One of the main symbols of Moscow modernism is the magnificent pre-revolutionary mansion that belonged to entrepreneur Pyotr Petrovich Smirnov. At the beginning of the last century, it was reconstructed by the famous architect Fyodor Osipovich Shekhtel. Despite its popularity, the mansion holds several secrets that not all lovers of old Moscow are aware of.

Many historians believe that the Smirnov house was built between 1901 and 1905, but in reality, it was constructed much earlier and was part of an estate that changed many owners over more than a hundred years. In 1901, the estate was acquired by Pyotr Petrovich Smirnov, who approached Fyodor Osipovich Shekhtel with a request for redesign and reconstruction. The architect assessed the quality of the mansion and the side wings, creating a plan for the updated house. Smirnov liked Shekhtel's proposal, and it was decided to unite all three buildings under a new facade in the modern style. Thus, one of the most famous buildings in Moscow in this style appeared on Tverskoy Boulevard.

Unfortunately, Smirnov lived only five years after the construction work was completed and died in 1910. The building was sold to the Moscow Noble Assembly, but they only used the mansion for seven years until the Bolsheviks came to power. Under the new regime, the darkest period in the history of the mansion began. The former Smirnov house housed a revolutionary military tribunal that handed down death sentences to innocent people en masse. The cases of the accused were not even considered; a signature was simply placed, deciding the fate of a person. Later, the building came under the jurisdiction of the prosecutor's office, which was located there until 1990. The mansion was then owned by a pension fund, which now preserves only part of the building, while various celebrations take place in the opposite wing. Only in 2006 was the Smirnov house restored; by the time work began, it was in a deplorable state.