The house on Vznesenskaya Hill was acquired in 1908 and soon equipped with all the modern conveniences of the time: a bathroom with a water heating column, electricity, and a telephone. At that time, such "luxury" was rare. In the basement, where the royal family was later executed, there was a wine cellar.

In the spring of 1918, according to the official version, Nicholas II was to be transported from Tobolsk to Moscow for trial. Temporary accommodation was needed in Yekaterinburg, and the Soviet authorities chose the Ipatiev House, temporarily evicting the engineer.

In April 1918, Nicholas II was brought to Yekaterinburg. On the night of July 16-17, Nicholas II, his wife Alexandra Feodorovna, their children, Dr. Botkin, and three servants were killed in the basement of the house, and their bodies were taken to an abandoned mine near the city.

A few days after the tragedy, Nikolai Ipatiev was returned the keys and allowed to return to the house, but he decided to leave Russia and soon died in Prague.

The story of the house did not end there. In 1927, a museum of the revolution was opened there, where tours were conducted, including for pioneers. They were told that this building became the last refuge of the "bloodsucking tsar."

Interest in the Ipatiev House grew in the mid-1970s, and discussions about its demolition began at that time. The order for the demolition of the building was given by the new secretary of the Regional Committee, Boris Yeltsin. According to him, it was a party decision, and if he did not carry it out, someone else would. The house was demolished in 1977 under the pretext of reconstructing the block, although in reality, such a project did not exist, and the site remained a wasteland for many years.