This house, included in the albums of particular buildings by M. F. Kazakov, is one of the most important structures in Moscow from the early classicism period. Built around 1780 by Ivan Ivanovich Shuvalov, a favorite of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna, the house became his Moscow refuge after returning from abroad in the late 1770s. Shuvalov, a supporter of Emperor Peter III, like many other disgraced nobles, decided to settle in Moscow. The house was designed by an unknown but talented architect, presumably Italian, and the building was erected on a plot purchased by Shuvalov.

The house had two floors with a two-light rotunda in the center, visible from the street, while from the courtyard it appeared as a four-story building due to the mezzanines and half-floors. The extensive grounds included three stone wings, stables, a barn, sheds, and a large garden. The facade of the house was adorned with vertical niches framing the windows of the second floor. The center of the facade was highlighted by pediments above five windows, and the main entrance was located from the courtyard, where a steep staircase led to an enfilade decorated with works of art. Here were masterpieces by foreign masters, portraits of Peter the Great and Elizabeth Petrovna, as well as a bust of Catherine by Shubin.

However, Shuvalov never settled in this house, as Catherine II restored her favor towards him, and he spent the rest of his life in St. Petersburg, where he died in 1797. He gifted the Moscow house to his nephew, Prince Fyodor Nikolayevich Golitsyn, curator of Moscow University. This branch of the Golitsyn family, known as the 'Golitsyns of Pokrovka,' owned the house until 1917.

In 1812, the house was not damaged by fire, and according to legend, one of Napoleon's marshals lived there. In the courtyard, there were two wings that were previously used for household purposes, and from the 1880s, they were rented out to the 'Singer' company office. There was also a barn on the premises where food and old furniture were stored.

Prince Vladimir Mikhailovich Golitsyn was born and raised in this house, and his grandson, Prince Sergey Mikhailovich Golitsyn, spent the first few years of his life here. In 1887, the family decided to remodel the first floor for shops and rent the second to L. N. Valitskaya's gymnasium, as maintaining the house became too expensive. In the 1910s, a tenement house was built on the site of the right wing, designed by architect F. L. Kontrim.

In 1917, the Golitsyns lost their property and moved to Bogoroditsk, returning to Moscow only after 1924.