On one side of the Cathedral Square in Arzamas, along the ravine of the Soroka River, there are two identical two-story buildings built by merchant Ivan Goryaninov. This took place during the reign of Empress Catherine II, known for her policy of organizing life in Russian cities. General development plans were approved for many cities, including Arzamas, which stipulated that buildings around the Cathedral Square should be made of stone. Another requirement concerned the construction of 'improved facades' to give the cities a harmonious and majestic appearance. However, such facades required significant expenses. Merchant Goryaninov found himself in a difficult position: he needed to build a stone building with an improved facade, but he wanted to minimize costs. Therefore, he decided to make only the main facade stone, decorating it with arched pilasters, which met the authorities' requirements, while the rest of the building was wooden. The merchant built two such buildings since he had two sons and wanted to avoid conflicts and lawsuits after his death, leaving each of them one building. Thus, two two-story buildings with a high mezzanine in the late classicism style appeared in Arzamas, becoming a decoration of the Cathedral Square and harmoniously fitting into the architectural ensemble of the city center.