A hundred years ago, in the alleys of today's elite Ostozhenka, there were small wooden two- and three-story mansions in the Empire style. In one of these houses, at number 3, Fedor Ivanovich Shalyapin lived from 1904 to 1907.

Shalyapin's creative rise began shortly before 1904. He performed many roles in the operas of the Bolshoi Theatre, his fame grew, and at the same time, he enjoyed family life with Iola Ignatievna Tornagi, a former Italian ballerina. Together they raised three children: Igor, Irina (born in 1900), and Lydia (born in 1903). It is said that Shalyapin's eldest daughter was baptized by Rachmaninoff, a close friend of Fedor Ivanovich. The only condition under which the composer agreed to be the godfather was the girl's name. Irina, his favorite name, was later given to Rachmaninoff's eldest daughter.

However, everything changed in an instant. In 1903, their firstborn Igor died of appendicitis. Shalyapin was in despair and even attempted to take his own life. The loss of his son forced the family to leave their apartment on Leontievsky Lane, where everything reminded them of the tragedy. There are several versions of how the new home was chosen. According to one, Fedor Ivanovich met the abbess Valentina at the Church of the Conception Monastery, and she advised him to purchase a mansion near the monastery.

Another version suggests that Shalyapin won the mansion in a card game, but there is no evidence for this. The family settled in house No. 3 on 3rd Zachatyevsky Lane after its reconstruction. The house was previously three stories tall and had no wing. Later, during the Soviet era, the mansion and the left wing of the house were demolished. In the 1980s, there were plans to build a six-story residential building on this site, but this did not happen.

In 1904, the Shalyapins had a son Boris, who became a well-known artist. He was born in the dining room on the first floor. The eldest daughter Irina recalled how her father noisily celebrated the birth of his son. Happy Fedor Ivanovich carried Iola Ignatievna up the wide staircase to the second floor. A year later, twins Fedor and Tatiana were born. The growing family required significant funds, most of which went towards the children's education. Remembering his poor childhood, Shalyapin wanted his children to lack for nothing. He worked hard, often denying himself rest, but always found time to play with his children.

The house was always full of people, not only because of the five children but also due to the many friends and acquaintances who often visited their hospitable home. The Shalyapins hosted dinner parties where the tables were decorated with Parma violets, and name cards were prepared for guests. Among the guests were artist K.A. Korovin and tenor V.N. Sabanin, as well as the Rachmaninoffs, close friends since 1898, and V.A. Serov, who created several portraits of Shalyapin and his family.

In 1907, the family moved to a house on Novinsky Boulevard. The further fate of house No. 3 is known only from fragments of memories. For example, ten years later, Anna Akhmatova lived on Zachatyevsky, as confirmed by her poem "Third Zachatyevsky..." In 1918, Osip Mandelstam met Akhmatova in this house.

In our time, Fedor Ivanovich's son, Fedor Fedorovich, bequeathed the family estate to the F.I. Shalyapin Center. However, in 2000, the house was sold to a private company that planned to reconstruct it and lease it for offices. The fate of the building, which is a cultural heritage site of regional significance, is still unresolved.