An expert on St. Petersburg will surely draw a tourist's attention to the majestic building with white columns located at the corner of Nevsky Prospect and the Moika River embankment. This is the house of General Police Chief Nikolai Ivanovich Chicherin, known for its rich history and beauty. Over time, many famous figures of culture and art, such as Pushkin, Dostoevsky, Akhmatova, and Blok, stayed here. Having undergone several reconstructions, the building remains one of the main adornments of the historical part of the city.

The first constructions on this site began in 1716, when the Customs House was built according to the project of architect Nikolai Fedorovich Gerbel. Here, duties were collected for passage, and a stone building of the trading courtyard was erected nearby. Both structures were destroyed by fire in 1736, and the site remained vacant for a long time.

In 1755, a temporary imperial residence was established here due to the reconstruction of the Winter Palace on Palace Square. The temporary wooden Winter Palace, designed by B. Rastrelli, housed about 150 ceremonial rooms and a theater. After the completion of the Winter Palace in 1762, the temporary building was dismantled, and the site was gifted to N. I. Chicherin in 1768.

On this land, Chicherin built a four-story house in the style of early classicism, with construction lasting from 1768 to 1771. The architect's name has not survived, but it is assumed that the project may have been created by Y. M. Felten. Chicherin himself occupied the third floor, while the other premises were rented out. A printing house of I.M. Hartung and a Music Society also operated here.

The first known tenant was Giacomo Quarenghi, who rented an apartment for 300 rubles a year. After Chicherin's death, the building passed to his heirs, but the creative life continued. In 1792, the building was sold to Prince A. B. Kurakin, who added a three-story wing to the house.

In 1799, the house was acquired by merchant A. I. Peretz, and in 1806, it was bought by A.I. Kosikovsky, who added another wing. In 1858, the site was purchased by the Eliseev brothers, who carried out a large-scale reconstruction. The house belonged to the Eliseevs until the revolution, after which the House of Arts settled here.

During the Soviet period, the building housed a store, a cafeteria, and various clubs. In the 1990s, the Center for Humanitarian and Business Cooperation opened here, followed by a hotel after reconstruction. Today, the Eliseevs' house has been fully restored and remains a gem of St. Petersburg, housing a hotel and several restaurants.