Vasily Kalashnikov spent his childhood in a house on the former Sarayskaya Street, where he received his primary education at the district school, completing three grades. At 16, he went to Rybinsk and then to Nizhny Novgorod. In 1872, he began working at the shipbuilding plant in Nizhny Novgorod, first as a designer and then as the chief mechanic.

Kalashnikov was involved in designing tank barges for transporting kerosene, developing blowers and steam superheaters, as well as devices for steam engines. He created an innovative model of a steam engine, for which he was awarded a medal at the All-Russian Industrial Exhibition in Moscow in 1882.

The exact date of construction of the house where Kalashnikov was born is unknown. However, the building was already mentioned in the General Plan of Uglich from 1784, which provided for new street roads. Many old estates remained within the blocks, but the Kalashnikov house ended up on the outer line of the new square in front of the Bogoyavlensky Monastery.

The front part of the two-story house was built of stone, while the other parts were made of wood. The facade is decorated in a style characteristic of wooden houses: the windows are framed with casings with cornices and sills. Tiles were inserted into the corner projections of the house, which was an original architectural solution for the 18th century. Since then, the house has changed little, only the high wooden roof has been rebuilt to be flatter, and major repairs with restoration have been carried out.

Today, the house has three exhibition halls: the Glass Museum, Vasily Kalashnikov's study, and an exhibition dedicated to the Russian tea-drinking culture. The Glass Museum features exhibits from the 18th and 20th centuries, including antique mirrors, stained glass, lamps, porcelain, and glassware. Kalashnikov's study has been recreated as it was during the designer's lifetime, preserving antique furniture, icons, family photographs, and fragments of manuscripts. In the hall dedicated to the tea-drinking tradition, one can see a Russian stove, samovars, teapots, and porcelain tea sets.