Information about the building

The wooden mansion on Denegny Lane was built after the Moscow fire of 1812 and acquired its current appearance as a result of reconstruction in the 1880s, carried out by architect Vladimir Pavlovich Gavrilov.

At different times, the house belonged to merchant N.K. Bolya and later became the property of hereditary citizen Karl Alexandrovich Guthayl, who lived here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

K.A. Guthayl, a German who had assimilated into Russian society, inherited a music publishing firm from his father that dealt with the publication of sheet music and scores. The firm had its own store and published a monthly "Musical Journal" for some time. Under his leadership, "A. Guthayl Publishing House" became one of the largest in pre-revolutionary Russia, specializing in works by both European and Russian composers such as Verstovsky, Dagomyzhsky, Glinka, Balakirev, and others. In 1915, after the start of the war with Germany and subsequent persecutions, Guthayl was forced to sell his firm and store to Sergey Kusevitsky and his "Russian Music Publishing House." Soon after, he left Russia and moved to Europe.

Guthayl was the first publisher of works by Sergey Vasilievich Rachmaninoff. He became interested in the talented graduate of the Moscow Conservatory and offered to publish his opera "Aleko," the diploma work of the young composer.

The publisher and Rachmaninoff maintained a long friendship and collaboration. The composer often visited his mansion on Denegny Lane.

Guthayl was also actively involved in charity and was one of the participants in the "Society for the Establishment of a Public Theater in Moscow," the future Moscow Art Theater, alongside K.S. Stanislavsky, V.I. Nemirovich-Danchenko, and S.T. Morozov.

After 1917, the former Guthayl mansion was nationalized and repurposed for various administrative institutions.

Reconstruction and Restoration

During a recent restoration, all load-bearing structures of the building were reinforced, the facades were returned to their original color scheme and architectural design, including decorative attics with cartouches and a crowning cornice. Restorers also cleared the interiors of later layers of drywall. The spatial planning structure of the building, the wooden entrance vestibule, and the decorative interior finishes were restored. In 2017, the mansion of N.K. Bolya and K.A. Guthayl became a laureate of the Moscow Government's "Moscow Restoration" competition in the categories of "Best Restoration/Adaptation Project," "Best Organization of Repair and Restoration Work," and "High Quality of Repair and Restoration Work."