The massive four-story building on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street today has neither a sign nor a memorial plaque. However, it would be quite appropriate here, as this building was not only one of the best charitable institutions in Moscow in the early 20th century but is also connected to the famous merchant family of Shustovs, renowned for their alcoholic products.

The founder of the dynasty, Leontiy Arkhipovich Shustov, was a third-guild merchant and simultaneously served as a deacon at the Church of Nikola in Koshelya on Yauza Street in the early 19th century. He was passionate about making homemade tinctures and liqueurs, experimenting with their recipes. His son, Nikolai Leontievich Shustov, founded the firm 'Shustov and Sons' in 1863, placing production in a former blacksmith workshop on Maroseyka. Shustov purchased fruits for his products at the Bolotnoye Market. His heir, Nikolai Nikolaevich, expanded the business, adding two more cognac enterprises in Kishinev and Armenia to the two Moscow factories. The famous cognacs 'Ararat' and 'Five Stars' were originally Shustov's.

Thanks to active advertising and high product quality, the Shustovs achieved significant success. In 1912, Nikolai Nikolaevich received the status of Supplier to His Imperial Majesty's Court, adorned the logo with the state coat of arms, and became a leader in the production of cognac and vodka, known not only in Russia but also in Europe. It was said that even Emperor Nicholas II praised Shustov's cognac.

As a successful entrepreneur, Nikolai Nikolaevich Shustov was actively involved in charity, which was part of the image of a wealthy merchant in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During this time, City Charities for the Poor were established in Moscow, funded by donations from local entrepreneurs and distributed across police precincts.

Shustov organized the Charity for the Poor of the Presnensky District, chaired its council, and built the building on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street at his own expense. Constructed in 1910, presumably by architect Adolf Erichson, it was modest but functional, with large windows featuring rounded corners. Inside were spacious and well-equipped rooms designed to assist those in need.

The building included free apartments for the needy, a hospice, a free dining hall, a pharmacy, a labor exchange, a craft school, carpentry workshops, a nursery, and evening classes for workers. Here, one could receive not only material assistance but also a profession for future self-sufficiency. The quality of the institutions was high; for example, the free dining hall offered a diverse menu, including sturgeon.

After the death of Nikolai Nikolaevich Shustov in January 1917, the Presnensky Charity was named after him. However, soon the revolution destroyed this form of charity. The building on Bolshaya Gruzinskaya Street was occupied by a school, and later a skin and venereal disease dispensary was located here. The exterior of the house has hardly changed and today it looks almost the same as it did during Shustov's time.