One of the most beautiful pre-revolutionary buildings in Rostov-on-Don is considered to be Petrov's mansion, also known as Dombrovsky's mansion. It resembles a magnificent palace from a fairy tale. The building was erected in the late 19th century according to the design of the famous architect Nikolai Alexandrovich Doroshenko. The first owner was a wealthy resident of Rostov, Dombrovsky. Later, the mansion passed to the Vladikavkaz Railway, and the last legal owner was lawyer Apollon Petrovich Petrov.

Petrov's mansion, which has entered the city's history under this name, is executed in an eclectic style with elements of baroque, classicism, and renaissance, which is characteristic of Doroshenko's works. The main facade, facing Pushkinskaya Street, has an asymmetric composition. The walls are adorned with columns, the window openings are topped with semi-circular arches with keystones, and the archivolts are supported by caryatids. Above the main entrance is the coat of arms of the owners. The frieze above the windows is decorated with stucco: female heads, griffins, cartouches, and floral ornamentation. The balustrade is adorned with balusters and pedestals.

A wrought-iron fence on a stone base separates the mansion from Pushkinskaya Street. Initially, the gates were located on the sides, with a gate in the center, but this changed over time. Utility buildings adjoin the northern facade, and there were previously stables and a carriage house here.

Around the grand vestibule with a marble staircase were the main halls. The walls are decorated with Corinthian pilasters, the doors are framed with archivolts, and the ceiling is adorned with stucco. The basement housed the kitchen, boiler room, and servants' quarters, and dishes were served upstairs via a special escalator, which was accessible to many Rostov residents.

An interesting story is associated with this building: it became the fee for lawyer Petrov for winning a lawsuit that the Vladikavkaz Railway was conducting. The case concerned disputed lands for railway lines. The head of the railway offered the mansion to the lawyer who would win the case. Petrov successfully handled the task and received not only the mansion but also the position of legal consultant. These events took place at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Lawyer Petrov and his family lived in the mansion until the arrival of Soviet power. After that, the family moved to France, and the building was confiscated. In the 1920s, it housed the Children's Commune, the House of Enlightenment Workers, and the Miners' Union. In the 1930s, the mansion housed the Rostov Oblast Consumer Cooperative, the Spartak Physical Culture Society, and the Oblmostprom. After World War II, the building was transferred to the regional department for construction and architecture, and it was modified: an attic was added, a concrete staircase was installed, the wooden terrace and marble fountain were removed. The fireplace and several carved doors were also lost.

Since 1959, the building has belonged to the Rostov Regional Museum of Fine Arts, has been restored, and delights passersby with its beauty. Today, it is hard to imagine how magnificent this mansion was originally, even if decades of barbaric treatment could not destroy it. The building is listed as a cultural heritage site of regional significance and is protected by the state, located at Pushkinskaya Street, 115.