Karl Liebknecht Street in the center of Syzran is considered one of the quietest. Over a hundred years ago, at the intersection with Kazan Lane, now named after Dostoevsky, the Syzran merchant Ivan Martinianovich Pelevin built himself a house. Today, plastic frames are installed in its windows, and a fence made of chain-link stands in front of the facade. However, passing by, it seems that behind these walls, just like a hundred years ago, the old floor clock ticks steadily.

Ivan Martinianovich Pelevin was a notable figure in Syzran, as seen by his solid and substantial house. After the fire of 1906, houses were built of stone, and his house was no exception. It looked splendid for its time: small arched windows with profiled trim. The symmetry of the facade was disrupted by a side entrance with a porch from Troitskaya Street. The porch roof was adorned with an ornate lattice and two lanterns. These decorations have survived to this day, although the door to the porch seems to have long been bricked up. Under the four-pitched roof was a light room with a small cozy semi-circular window.

The merchants, to whom Ivan Pelevin belonged, were small traders, craftsmen, and workers who lived permanently in the city. In 1870, Alexander II approved the "City Statute," which was in effect in self-financing cities. According to officials' analysis, Syzran had all the opportunities for self-government and was equated to a provincial city. The townspeople were divided into six class ranks, with merchants occupying the last place.

In 1902, Martinian Vasilyevich Chernukhin became the city mayor, and the council included merchants Ivan Pelevin and Nikolai Artemyev. Pelevin apparently performed well in his duties, as seven years later he was still serving in the council, according to archival documents.

In 1909, the list of land tax in the sixth quarter included Pelevin's wooden and stone houses. Their estimated value was 1000 rubles, and the tax was 16 rubles 31 kopecks. By 1917, these figures had risen to 1300 and 46 rubles respectively. Interestingly, in the lists of municipalized and confiscated properties from 1920-1922, Pelevin's house is not listed.

At the same time, in the list of tenants in the central part of the city on Troitskaya Street, the Pelevin family of six is recorded. How Ivan Martinianovich managed to negotiate with the new authorities and avoid the municipalization of his residence remains unknown. However, soon the building housed kindergarten No. 24. The house is now privately owned and included in the list of historical and cultural sites of the Samara region.