The upper part of Moskovskaya Street was renowned as an aristocratic district. This status was confirmed by everything around: from wealthy merchant houses to the prestigious hotel of Mr. Varentsov at Moskovskaya, 1.

The hotel opened in the 1850s and quickly became the most expensive hotel in the city. Inside, there was a wrought iron staircase, and the foyer was adorned with luxurious furniture. Journalists from the "Gubernskiye Vedomosti" wrote: "A room for 2 rubles includes a hallway, a separate reception hall, and a bedroom. The building deserves attention for both its exterior and its magnificent vestibule with iron staircases. It is truly a quiet, clean, and spacious place with elegant furniture."

Interestingly, the hotel at Moskovskaya, 1 housed two prisoners of the Crimean War: Colonel Henry Etwill Lake and Major Thompson. Governor Panchulidzev treated them like crowned persons, providing them with everything they needed. The English military left their impressions of the Penza hotel: "Dinner cost a ruble, and breakfast a quarter, Colonel Lake recalled, but the wines were excessively expensive. I would advise any traveler to refrain from champagne and even beer. Sparkling wine would cost 6 rubles or one pound sterling." Additionally, the prisoners had their own servants.

At the beginning of the next century, the hotel underwent new development. In 1904, it was purchased by merchant Mikhail Kartashov, who began to furnish the hotel according to the latest European fashion and engineering. The rooms were furnished with expensive furniture, the floors were covered with carpets, and the walls were decorated with copies of paintings by Russian wanderers. Some rooms had electricity, which was considered a novelty at the time. To please customers, Kartashov acquired a 6-seater "Ford" carriage that transported guests from Penza-I. Later, a café opened on the first floor. Now customers could avoid going out for groceries and simply go downstairs for an inexpensive lunch or dinner. Breakfast was served from 11 AM to 2 PM (two dishes and coffee cost 50 kopecks), lunch from 2 PM to 6 PM (four dishes cost 60 kopecks, and six dishes, 1 ruble). Provisions came from Moscow: partridges, woodcocks, pheasants, beluga, sturgeon, trout, salmon, cauliflower, asparagus, and other delicacies. A wide selection of sweets was also offered: cookies, pastries, cakes, dumplings, chocolate candies, and much more. Mineral water from the commandant of the Winter Palace, Vladimir Voeykov, was also sold.