Now we see a neat two-story house with a mezzanine that has undergone serious restoration. Because of this, some believe that the dating of the building to the mid-18th century may be exaggerated. However, this is a historical structure: the first floor has been preserved in its original form, while the second was dismantled in the 1970s and later restored. The house might not have survived: starting in 1972, it was planned for demolition, and it was literally on the brink of disappearance.

The first mention of stone palaces at this site dates back to 1758, when the owner was merchant Pyotr Saposov. According to research, the building was constructed in the second quarter of the 18th century.

The lower floor was used for leather production, while the upper served as living quarters. During the Soviet era, the house housed apartments. In 1972, when residents began to be relocated, the partitions between the rooms were removed, revealing a two-column vaulted chamber, the likes of which had not existed in Moscow at that time. However, it soon became known that a Central Pumping Water Station was planned nearby, and the palaces were to be demolished. Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky learned of this and informed the activists of the Zamoskvorechye branch of the All-Russian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments. Baranovsky's secretary, Yulia Romanova, along with architect Oleg Zhurin, began actively defending the building, appealing to various authorities and publishing articles in newspapers. As a result, construction of the station began nearby, but they decided to preserve the palaces. Engineer Gennady Orlov carried out work to strengthen the ancient building; however, years of proximity to the excavation left its mark: the house became covered in cracks, was reinforced with metal beams, lost all extensions, but withstood. In 1974, it was placed under state protection.

Those who knew the history of the building's rescue jokingly called it "Romanova's Palaces."

Students from the Engineering and Construction Institute actively participated in excavations around house No. 21. They found many authentic items: pieces of expensive morocco leather, various jars and mortars for grinding paints, green glass bottles from mineral waters, and even a wooden toy.

The monument was comprehensively restored in the 1990s and early 2000s, with the restoration of the volume in the dimensions of the 18th and 19th centuries and the preservation of the vaults on the first floor. The facade design is extremely simple: unpretentious stucco decor in the pediment, windows and doors adorned with shelves and lintels, the corners of the building are finished with pilasters, and the inter-floor cornice with a ledge visually separates the old and new parts of the house.