At the end of the 18th century, the commercial premises owned by Count I. I. Vorontsov, whose son became the godfather of A. S. Pushkin, became the site of the first fashionable French shops. This brought Kuznetsky Most the reputation of being the most 'French' street in Moscow.

A century later, in 1883, the old buildings were united under a glass iron vault designed by architect A. A. Martynov. Here, the passage of the metallurgical plant of Count Franz San-Galli was located, which produced artistic casting, construction parts, and heating equipment. In 1896, the building underwent reconstruction again.

After the start of World War I, in May 1915, the shop was looted during anti-German riots and closed. In its place, baker N. D. Filippov decided to open the café 'Pittoresque,' with young artists such as Georgy (Georges) Yakulov, V. Tatlin, A. Osmerkin, and others participating in its decoration. The main theme of the painting was a scene from A. Blok's 'The Stranger.'

The café opened in January 1918, during a time of hunger and cold. The premises were unheated, and only sour milk and pies made from frozen potatoes were offered in the buffet. Despite this, Vladimir Mayakovsky and David Burliuk performed here, and Vsevolod Meyerhold staged Blok's 'The Stranger.'

In the autumn of 1918, the café came under the management of the theatrical department of Narcompros and was renamed 'Red Rooster.' Its visitors included Sergei Yesenin, Nikolai Klyuev, Valery Bryusov, and Narcom Lunacharsky. A year later, the café closed, and the premises became commercial again. For some time, the publishing house 'Moscow Worker' was located here.

Since 1930, an exhibition hall 'Vsekohudozhnik' opened in the building, which became the Moscow House of Artists in 1953. During the Great Patriotic War, propaganda posters 'TASS Windows' were created here.

In 2001, after restoration, the passage, which had been rebuilt in the 1960s, was returned to its pre-revolutionary appearance. Today, the building, which is a cultural heritage site and belongs to the Moscow House of Artists, is used for art salons, gift shops, exhibitions and fairs, as well as charitable events.