Information about the building

According to a Moscow legend, the famous restaurant 'Hermitage' came into being thanks to the passion of French chef Lucien Olivier and Moscow merchant Yakov Pegov for snuff tobacco. The best tobacco in Moscow was produced by a tobacconist on Trubnaya, where their fateful meeting took place, leading to the creation of a new Moscow tavern.

In the early 1860s, the building, constructed in 1816 at the corner of Petrovsky Boulevard and Neglinnoy Passage (now Neglinnaya Street), was converted into a tavern-restaurant with a hotel and baths.

The fame of the new establishment quickly spread across Moscow, and the partners began to profit. Although it was called a tavern, it was essentially a restaurant in the Parisian style. The waiters, known as 'polovye', wore not tailcoats but white shirts made of fine Dutch linen, belted with silk sashes.

The restaurant quickly became a popular spot among Moscow's intelligentsia. In April 1879, I.S. Turgenev was honored at the 'Hermitage'. In the 1870s and 1880s, the famous 'Taneev dinners' were held here, where contemporary issues were discussed. It was also the site of Tchaikovsky's wedding to Milyukova, and in 1902, a banquet organized by M. Gorky took place here to celebrate the premiere of 'At the Bottom'.

On Tatiana's Day, the restaurant was made available to Moscow students and their professors. After the liturgy at the university church, students would head to the 'Hermitage'. The floors were covered with straw, expensive dishes were put away, and simpler snacks were served. Students, drinking beer and vodka, fraternized with professors and loudly shouted: 'Down with autocracy!' The police maintained political neutrality on this day.

It was here that the famous 'Olivier salad' was created, which we now prepare for New Year's. Its recipe is shrouded in legends. Originally, it was called 'Game Mayonnaise' and was a snack for vodka. Later, the ingredients were mixed and dressed with provencal sauce, and the new dish became popular, outliving its creator.

Lucien Olivier died in 1883 and was buried in Moscow at the German Cemetery.

By the end of the 19th century, the restaurant came under the ownership of the trading partnership 'Hermitage' and was rebuilt twice in 1885 and 1902 according to the designs of architects M.N. Chichagov and I.I. Boni.

The history of the restaurant ended in 1917. In the early years after the revolution, part of the building housed the American charitable mission ARA.

In 1923, the building was occupied by the House of Peasant with a cinema for 450 seats, named 'Trud'.

After the war, the building was handed over to the publishing house 'Higher School', which remained there until the late 1980s. In 1989, the 'School of Modern Plays' theater was established here.

The building of the former restaurant 'Hermitage' is protected by the state as a cultural heritage site of regional significance.

Reconstruction and Restoration

On November 3, 2013, a fire occurred in the upper part of the theater, causing significant damage to the wooden structures and decorative furnishings of the halls. The corner section of building 1, the vestibule from the side of Neglinnaya Street, the grand staircase at the main entrance from Petrovsky Boulevard, the two-light hall of the former restaurant, the 'Winter Garden' on the third floor, and the service rooms of the theater were affected.

During the repair and restoration work, the foundations and brickwork of the walls were reinforced, the roof, window and door openings, partitions, reinforced concrete foundations and ceilings inside the building, as well as stairs and floors were restored. Restorers restored the facade, interior decor, tempera painting, gilding, and highlights of the stucco decor, and the ceiling structures.

Specialists recreated the internal staircases, tempera paintings, chandeliers of the 'Hermitage' hall, and monumental decorative paintings. It can be assumed that in many rooms, restoration was carried out for the first time in 100 years. Up to 18-20 old layers of paint and plaster were removed from the walls.

In January 2018, all work was completed.