On the former Nikolskaya Street in Rostov-on-Don stands the old Gerasimov mansion, built in the late 19th and early 20th centuries in the style of neoclassical eclecticism. This building was the pride of its owner and was part of the city estate. However, today almost nothing remains of the estate, and the building itself collapsed in 2015 due to unqualified workers and the owner.

Let us return to the mansion's better times and examine its history. The building is a typical urban mansion from the late 19th century, located in the historical center of the city and facing the main facade onto Nikolskaya Street (now Socialist Street). It was an L-shaped one-story brick structure with a basement and a multi-pitched roof. The facade was adorned with a series of rectangular window openings supported by side protruding braces. The symmetry of the facade was emphasized by the extreme braces with complex attics, one of which highlighted the main entrance. The design of the southern and eastern facades included compositional techniques and plaster decor characteristic of neoclassical eclecticism with elements of neo-Greek style. Several extensions were made to the building.

The architectural elements, proportions, and decor suggest that the design of the Gerasimov mansion, executed in neoclassical style with elements of neo-Greek, belongs to the famous Rostov architect Nikolai Alexandrovich Doroshenko. Considering that the building was completed between 1900 and 1904, it is likely that the work was carried out after Doroshenko's death under the guidance of another local architect, Nikolai Nikitich Durbakh. Interestingly, it was Durbakh who completed the income house of the Maksimovs on Moskovskaya Street, 72, which was started during Doroshenko's lifetime.

The Gerasimov mansion was built using bricks from the A. A. Levanidov factory. The plot for the building was initially valued at 900 rubles. The owners were the spouses Netsvetaylenko, Rostov merchants. In 1900, the plot was valued at 1800 rubles and was purchased by Gorbenko, who owned the mansion for about fifteen years. The monogram with the initials "FG" on the decorative inserts above the window openings confirms this.

In 1904, the plot was valued at 5700 rubles. According to the Cultural Heritage Protection Obligation, F. M. Gorbenko belonged to a well-known merchant family in Rostov-on-Don. His father, Moisey Yakovlevich Gorbenko, a first-guild merchant, owned a lime production factory and built the Ioanno-Predtechensky Church. In 1914, the owner of the mansion became Yakov Rodionovich Gerasimov, the owner of a leather goods store at the Old Market (now the Central Market). Gerasimov financed the relocation of the Alexander Nevsky Church to the territory of the brotherly cemetery. It was under his name that the house entered history.

During the Soviet era, the building was confiscated and used as a residential house, which significantly damaged its exterior and interior appearance. Later, the house housed the city kindergarten No. 14. The entrance was still adorned with an ornate wrought-iron canopy, which disappeared in the following decades, along with many other elements of the building. The mansion has survived to this day, but during renovation work, it collapsed due to the negligence of workers and owners who neglected restoration issues. As a result of the repairs, only the outer walls remained, and a pit was dug inside, which proved fatal. The facade wall, lacking support, collapsed. This is an example of irresponsible attitudes towards unique ancient architecture, which, unfortunately, occurs not only in Rostov-on-Don but throughout Russia.