S.L. Kryazhov came from serf peasants. His father, Lukyan Artemyevich Kryazhov, after being freed from serfdom, moved with his family from Kaluga province to Voronezh. In 1841, the Voronezh Treasury Chamber classified the Kryazhov family as merchants.

The winemaking skills that the Kryazhov family acquired in Kaluga province helped them establish a business near Voronezh. Initially, they rented a factory and land in a picturesque forested area in the village of Maklok. In the second half of the 19th century, S.L. Kryazhov became the owner of the factory and estate of Maklok, which had previously changed hands multiple times.

The natural qualities of the Kryazhovs, such as frugality, hard work, resourcefulness, and determination, allowed them to earn good profits and accumulate a million-rouble fortune.

In 1858, S.L. Kryazhov purchased a property on Gruzovaya Street (now Studencheskaya), where he set up a distillery. Vodka was produced and alcohol was purified there.

S.L. Kryazhov became a first-guild merchant and headed the city Duma. In this position, he decided to construct a water supply system at his own expense, without seeking help from others.

In the mid-19th century, most city residents relied on water carriers who delivered water from the Voronezh River, as digging wells on elevated areas was difficult, and the city often suffered from water shortages.

To establish the water supply, S.L. Kryazhov visited London, where he studied similar systems, and ordered water pipes, machinery, and skilled craftsmen for Voronezh.

The water pump was equipped on the banks of the Voronezh River in a three-story building provided by Kryazhov. A pressure tower was built at Konny Square (now Lenin Square), and main pipes were laid under the streets of Bolshaya Dvoryanskaya (Revolution Avenue) and Bolshaya Moskovskaya (Plekhanov Street). All of this was gifted to the city forever. In 1872, water reached the outskirts of Voronezh.

As the city mayor, Kryazhov worked for free, donating his salary (3,000 roubles a year) to public education needs. He regularly donated money to various societies and charities.

Under S.L. Kryazhov, the city had no debts and possessed a reserve of municipal capital.

The city administration under Kryazhov carried out a reconstruction of street lighting. Since 1872, economical kerosene lamps appeared.

Streets began to be paved under the municipality's guidance rather than by private homeowners, and in this, Voronezh outpaced many large cities in Russia.

In 1874, S.L. Kryazhov was elected chairman of the city's main charitable society, the 'Voronezh Committee for the Care of the Poor.'

For his merits, he was awarded the Order of St. Stanislaus of the 2nd degree.

S.L. Kryazhov passed away in 1888 in his estate of Maklok from pneumonia.

In February 2011, the city commission for cultural heritage decided to immortalize the name of S.L. Kryazhov by installing two memorial plaques: on the Vodokanal building and on Kryazhov's house at 41 Karl Marx Street. This house is a monument of history and architecture, currently housing the House of Composers and a musical society.

On November 29, 2011, a memorial plaque was ceremoniously unveiled on the facade of the administrative building of MUP 'Vodokanal Voronezh' at 90 Peshestreletska Street.