N.A. Nekrasov's ballad "The Secret" begins with a description of one of Moscow's mansions: "In happy Moscow, on Neglinnaya, with lions, with a fence around, stands alone an ancient house adorned with coats of arms." V.A. Gilyarovsky also mentions this building: "At the corner of Malyy Kiselny Lane and Rozhdestvensky Boulevard, a tram stops in front of a luxurious mansion, from the entrance of which two lions, guarding the expensive carved doors trimmed with bronze, look sternly at the passengers of the imperial carriage."

The lions can no longer be found; they disappeared about eighty years ago, but the house still stands on the steep left bank of the Neglinka River, now hidden in an underground collector, at Rozhdestvensky Boulevard, house No. 12.

In the late 18th century, the estate belonged to Princess A.M. Golitsyna, and then passed to Alexander Ivanovich Fonvizin, the father of the Decembrists Mikhail and Ivan. Members of the Union of Welfare gathered here, and in 1821, a decision was made to dissolve it to create a new secret society. In 1828, Natalia Dmitrievna Fonvizina, born Apukhina, left from here to Siberia, to Chita, to her husband, General Mikhail Alexandrovich Fonvizin, who had been sentenced to hard labor. She is considered the main prototype of Pushkin's Tatiana from "Eugene Onegin," and she herself had no doubt about it.

In 1830, the house became the property of merchant of the 1st guild K.M. Gubin, under whom the house was partially rebuilt. In 1869, the estate was acquired by Baroness von Meck, the widow of the "railroad magnate" Karl von Meck. Nadezhda Filaretovna was a great connoisseur of music and was one of the first to see genius in Tchaikovsky. Their relationship was unique: they never met but corresponded for thirteen years. Throughout this time, von Meck provided significant financial support to Pyotr Ilyich, allowing him to focus on his creativity. At her invitation, Tchaikovsky stayed with his brother Modest at the house on Rozhdestvensky Boulevard, but only in the absence of the hostess.

Von Meck rebuilt the mansion several times, uniting the main house with the side wings and adding eclectic decor to the facade. The work was carried out according to the projects of architects A.N. Stratilatov, V.A. Gamburcev, and P.P. Skomoroshchenko.

In 1881, N.F. von Meck sold the house to tea merchant A.S. Gubkin. However, two years later, he passed away, and this event was accompanied by a tragedy that was written about by L.N. Tolstoy and V.A. Gilyarovsky. Rumors spread through Moscow that generous alms would be given in memory of Gubkin, and thousands of beggars flocked to Rozhdestvensky Boulevard. This ended in a terrible crush with dozens dead and injured.

Gubkin's heirs sold the estate to the Noble Land Bank, which owned it until 1917. Currently, it houses the State Committee of the Russian Federation for Fisheries. The estate is protected by the state as a cultural heritage site of federal significance.