Opening Date and History

In 1906, at the intersection of Khlebny and Maly Rzhevsky lanes, architect Roman Ivanovich Klein built a mansion for Siberian gold miner Ivan Ignatievich Nekrasov. This compact house, successfully located on the corner, is designed in the style of English neo-Gothic and resembles a fortified castle. Its two facades converge towards a semi-circular bay window, which consists of windows from small living rooms. This element, anticipating constructivist corner balconies, is adorned with Gothic ornamentation. The narrow columns between the windows emphasize the building's aspiration upwards.

Description

The side facades of the house are decorated with tall pointed gables, which house attics with narrow paired windows resembling loopholes. The main entrance from the lane resembles the entrance to an ancient castle, and the grand staircase has preserved Gothic vaults. The architect successfully organized the inner courtyard, where there is a second entrance to the house. The internal staircase connects the semi-basement floor, which housed the kitchen and utility rooms, with the upper rooms in the attic. A wrought-iron balcony has been preserved on the courtyard facade. The house still has an elevator that delivers dishes from the kitchen to the dining room on the first floor.

Owners and Significant Persons

Ivan Ignatievich Nekrasov, the son of a Siberian merchant, expanded his father's business and owned 15 gold mines in various districts. He was one of the first to begin mining lode gold at the Andreevsky mine. In the early 20th century, Nekrasov opened a representative office for his factories in Moscow and built this mansion for visits to the capital. In the late 19th century, he acquired the Raiki estate, where architect Kekushev built several dachas in the Art Nouveau style. From 1907 to 1909, the Pasternak family lived there, and artist Vasily Surikov rented a dacha in Raiki. Nekrasov's son, Nikolai Ivanovich, became a resident of the capital and married Olga Ivanovna, the granddaughter of Vikula Morozov, in 1915. After the revolution, the house lost its owners and served for a long time as the residence of the Spanish ambassador. It now houses the Chilean embassy.

Reconstruction and Restoration

In 2019, the mansion was returned to its original appearance. Restorers, relying on historical references and archival photographs, restored the original octagonal chimneys and water-collecting funnels, elements of wrought-iron window grilles, and metal balusters on the balcony. The restoration of the facades required meticulous work: specialists restored the brickwork and architectural stucco decor, recreating lost elements based on preserved fragments. As a result of the restoration, the roof was returned to its original configuration. The object became a laureate of the "Moscow Restoration, 2019" competition.