If you peek into the courtyard of house 7 on Malaya Znamenka Street, you can see a small three-story house. It has been freshly painted and looks festive. At first glance, it seems to be one of the courtyard buildings of the former estate.

However, this is neither a stable nor an outbuilding, but a palace house built here in the mid-18th century. The artist and restorer I.E. Grabar attributed the authorship of this house to the famous Moscow architect V.I. Bazhenov.

To be precise, this is a copy of it. The recreation of the former palace house cannot be called a scientific restoration, but the house stands on the same basements and retains the appearance of the former historical monument.

A large plot at the corner of Malaya Znamenka Street faced Antipyevsky Lane in the 18th century, with a spacious garden in front of the main house, and deep inside stood the main house adorned with light pilasters. The plot belonged to the widow of court intendant P. Mashkov. Its foundation preserved chambers from the 17th century.

Later, the house belonged to the famous Moscow publisher N.I. Novikov. A philosopher, journalist, publisher of satirical magazines and serious dictionaries, Novikov came to Moscow from St. Petersburg at the invitation of Kheraskov. Here he rented a printing house and continued his publishing activities. The money earned from publishing books, textbooks, and magazines was invested in building reading rooms, schools, and pharmacies. However, in 1792, Novikov was imprisoned in the Shlisselburg Fortress. After 4.5 years, he was released, but he did not resume his activities. Novikov spent his last years in an estate.

In the early 19th century, the house was purchased by the treasury, and officials of the stable palace department settled in it. At that time, the palace house was named "Stalmeyster's." Literally, the word "stalmeyster" translates as "stable chief," but it also referred to officials associated with the court stable.

The palace also housed the apartment of the head of the Moscow stable yard. In 1835, this position was held by B.A. Svyatopolks-Chetvertinsky. F.F. Vigel, one of the popular Russian memoirists, described this extraordinary person: "I met this handsome man, dangerous for husbands, terrifying for enemies, adorned with crosses earned in battles against the French, many times in Petersburg salons. I knew that this famous hussar colonel, a horseman who had long held women's hearts, finally fell passionately in love with a princess, Nadezhda Gagarina, married her, and became a peaceful resident of Moscow."

Princess Gagarina, Nadezhda Fedorovna, was the sister of V.F. Vyazemsky, who was friends with A.S. Pushkin. The poet visited the house on Znamenka, dancing with the beautiful daughter of the Svyatopolks-Chetvertinsky family, Nadezhda Borisovna (1812-1909).

In 1865, the plot was granted by Alexander II to Princess N.F. Svyatopolks-Chetvertinskaya in full ownership. In the 1870s, the premises were rented out. During this time, the academician, anthropologist, ethnographer, and geographer D.N. Anuchin lived here.

In the mid-1890s, the plot belonged to E.E. Mukhin.

The garden in front of the palace house began to be built up in 1899 when Moscow was engulfed in the construction of apartment buildings. At that time, a corner four-story house was built according to the project of P.M. Samarin. The house is famous for being the residence of A.S. Pushkin's daughter, M.A. Hartung. (Unfortunately, the house has not survived.)

At that time, the plot also passed to K.K. Mazing, who began to build a real and commercial school.

The stalmeyster's palace finally disappeared into the depths of the courtyard in 1912 when the apartment building of K.K. Mazing was constructed.

Today, we see yet another copy of a historical monument, the project of which may have belonged to Bazhenov or one of his students. We will never be able to prove or disprove this.