This estate on Prechistenka was rebuilt in the classical style after the fire of 1812 on the site of the burned Talizyn house. The new building was made of stone. The main house, which has a T-shape and is located along Prechistenka, was constructed from 1817 to 1820. According to some sources, it was designed by the famous architect F.K. Sokolov, who participated in the restoration of Moscow. The estate for the new owner, guard cornet Pavel Yakovlevich Okhotnikov, looked majestic, almost like a palace. The facade of the house was adorned with an eight-column portico with a sculpted pediment. Arched passages led to the courtyard, where there were wings, stables, a carriage house, and a household church. It is known that the interiors of this house were used for the decorations of the comedy "Woe from Wit" at the Maly Theater.

In 1879, the estate passed to the Pegov merchants, who owned it until 1915. In 1882, the building was rented for the Polivanov Gymnasium, founded in 1868. The gymnasium was established by outstanding educators Sofia Arsenyeva and Lev Polivanov. There was a close connection between the Arsenyeva and Polivanov gymnasiums: boys studied with Polivanov, while girls studied with Arsenyeva. Teaching was common, and students often knew each other.

Lev Polivanov founded the boys' gymnasium at the age of 30 and soon dedicated himself entirely to it. The gymnasium's teachers became famous for their innovative programs. Education was expensive, so children from wealthy families studied here. However, the graduates of the gymnasium became well-known throughout Russia and beyond.

The gymnasium occupied a three-story house. The first floor housed the cloakroom and service rooms, the second floor had Polivanov's apartment and the main classrooms, and the third floor contained dormitories and a dining room. Classes lasted 50 minutes, followed by a break. There was no mandatory uniform at the gymnasium, and prayers were not held.

Many famous people emerged from the gymnasium, such as writers and philosophers Vladimir Solovyov, Valery Bryusov, Andrei Bely, Maximilian Voloshin, artist Alexander Golovin, and world chess champion Alexander Alekhine. Leo Tolstoy also sent his sons here for education.

After Polivanov's death in 1899, the gymnasium was headed by his son Ivan. In 1915, the house passed to timber industrialist V.I. Firsanova, who reconstructed it according to the project of architect A.I. Tamanyan. In 1921, the State Academy of Artistic Sciences was located in the estate, and since 1924, the building has been associated with the name of Mikhail Bulgakov.

In 1963, the main house was restored. Today, it houses Children's Art School No. 1 and Children's Music School No. 11 named after V.I. Muradeli, where "Polivanov Evenings on Prechistenka" are held.