Evgeny Mikhailovich Dyakov was born in 1859 in Balashov, Saratov province, which was a quiet county town in pre-revolutionary times. Here, Boris Pasternak and Elena Vinograd met, and the poet described Balashov as "big as the sun." The town was home to merchants of all guilds, and the house of merchant Dyakov preserved not only its exterior but also its interior decoration. In the late 19th century, Evgeny Dyakov, a first-guild merchant, often traveled for business to large cities and was interested in palace constructions. He was a wealthy landowner and trader, so when building a mansion on Khoperskaya Street (now Soviet), he did not skimp.

Although the Balashov district was famous for its forests, Dyakov purchased building materials in Gribanovka, Tambov region, now Voronezh. He personally oversaw the construction and rejected logs that did not meet standards. In 1903, a mansion was built that became a model of wooden architecture with an eclectic mix of styles popular in the capital from the mid-19th century and adopted by the provinces by the 20th century.

From Russian folk architecture, the house retained symbols of the sun in carvings and a barrel-shaped roof over the porch. On the windows, one can see the script of the Arabic alphabet, elements of Moorish style, carved pineapples, and the downspouts are adorned with winged dragons, borrowed from Chinese art. The mansion also features elements of classicism, rococo, baroque, and art nouveau.

Dyakov paid special attention to the interior decoration: plaster moldings on the ceilings, fabric and paper wallpapers, presumably from France. He was one of the first to install a telephone, electricity, and plumbing in the house, the pipes of which, according to rumors, were silver. The house had a bathroom and a water closet, which was rare even for first-guild merchants. A particular pride was the stoves with tiles made over a hundred years ago in Finland. The tiles of the fireplace in the owner's study were an original design by the German artist Paul Obst. Similar stoves have been preserved in Russia and abroad, for example, in St. Petersburg in the apartment of N. A. Nekrasov.

Interestingly, there is no information about Dyakov's family. His house has 11 rooms, of which only 5 are living quarters. This dwelling belonged to a convinced bachelor, although he was not indifferent to the female sex, he never married and left no heirs. In the dining room, plaster moldings and medallions with antique profiles, as well as patterned parquet, have been preserved. After municipalization, the merchant's belongings found new owners, and the interior was recreated from museum funds and gifts from residents, reflecting the merchant life of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

In old photographs, one can see Dyakov's relatives, but his portrait has not survived. It is known that he was of medium height, with wavy light brown hair, and dressed in a merchant style. Contemporaries noted his intelligence and business acumen, but also remembered his fiery temper. According to legend, he gathered poor residents in the yard to learn news about competitors.

In the floor of the dining room, the lid of a cellar is visible, and there is a legend about secret underground passages leading from the house, but they have not been discovered. In the garden, there was a gate that led down to the Koper River. Dyakov loved horses, and there was a stable on the estate. His favorite was a Mongolian black stallion, which often won winter competitions on the river.

In 1917, Dyakov was shot on the porch of his house at the age of 58. His personality is surrounded by legends, but during the Soviet years, neither interest in his figure nor the architectural value of the building prevented it from being transferred to various organizations.