Andrei Mikhailovich Nosov (1814, 1893/97), a merchant and Honorary Citizen of Tambov, was the largest local philanthropist of the second half of the 19th century. In the historical center of Tambov, near Cathedral Square, thanks to his efforts, a charitable complex was established. It included a shelter made up of four stone buildings, Lazarus Church, houses for travelers and the homeless, a medical facility, shelters for boys and girls, a vocational school, and service buildings. Most of these buildings still serve the city today, although they have changed their purpose. One of the streets in the historical center of Tambov is named Nosovskaya in honor of his good deeds.

Andrei Nosov came from a merchant family known in Tambov since the 18th century. His ancestors, such as Avdey Leontyevich Nosov and Dmitry Avdeyevich Nosov, were engaged in entrepreneurship and public activities. Andrei was born into the family of Mikhail Stepanovich Nosov, who traded in meat and firewood, owned a slaughterhouse, and was elected to the city Duma. The Nosov household upheld strict traditions of upbringing based on Orthodox faith and labor. Mikhail's sons, including Andrei, received home education and were prepared for trade from a young age.

Family traditions dictated that boys helped in the family business from an early age, acquiring practical skills. By the age of 15 or 16, they became independent entrepreneurs. Andrei Nosov started his business by buying livestock across the Volga, fattening it, and driving it to Tambov province for sale. Thus, he accumulated significant capital and acquired more than six thousand acres of land in Borisoglebsky district.

Leading a nomadic lifestyle, Nosov did not start a family and lived modestly, investing his earnings into business. His first charitable project was the opening of a city almshouse in the late 1860s in collaboration with the merchants Ashurkov. In 1889, he founded a shelter for orphaned boys, where children from all classes lived until the age of 14, studying according to the church parish school program.

In 1893, the city administration began to improve the square at the site of the Tambov fortress fortifications. Nosov organized a fundraising campaign for the city's beautification, road paving, and tree planting. The square was named in his honor, although it now bears the name of Hero of the Soviet Union V.S. Petrov.

Merchants actively invested in urban construction, and Nosov paid a quarter of the cost of building the Nativity Cathedral in Bazaar Square. In 1892, he was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of Tambov, and his contributions were recognized by Emperor Alexander III. For his philanthropy, Nosov was awarded the Orders of St. Anna and Stanislaus.

Andrei Nosov is buried at the Vozdvizhensky Cemetery in Tambov. The exact address of his residence is unknown, but the complex of buildings on Soviet Street, built in 1868, has the status of a cultural heritage site. A memorial plaque is installed on the main house with an inscription about the city almshouse and medical facility.