Nikolai Matveevich Sokolov, one of the outstanding architects of pre-revolutionary Rostov-on-Don, was a Russian nobleman and a man of brilliant education, who created numerous architectural masterpieces.

He was born on March 6, 1859, in a noble family in the Vilna province and graduated from the Vilna Real School. In 1880, he entered the St. Petersburg Institute of Civil Engineers, which he completed in 1885 with honors, receiving the title of civil engineer. Continuing his studies in Germany, he got married and was appointed as the chief architect of Rostov-on-Don.

Sokolov arrived in Rostov-on-Don in 1886 and began designing the central district of the city "Rich Source," demonstrating the traditions of neo-Gothic architecture in his works. Among his projects are the Lutheran Church, destroyed during the Soviet era, the house of the Martyn brothers, which has survived to this day, and the building of the Commercial School, now the Rostov Engineering and Construction University.

Sokolov's creativity was influenced by the architectural traditions of the Vilna province, where he spent his childhood and youth. His career began in Riga, which left a significant mark on his life and contributed to the formation of the historical appearance of the central part of Rostov-on-Don at the end of the 19th and the beginning of the 20th century.

As a master of the "brick style," Sokolov designed buildings that are now listed as architectural monuments of Rostov, such as the main building of the Nikolayev City Hospital, the asylum for the mentally ill, the House of Labor P. R. Maximov, the covered market buildings in the Old Bazaar square, the Novopokrovskaya Church, the building of the commercial school, the Church of the Iverian Mother of God of the Iverian Children's Monastery, the Church of Archangel Michael, the Temple of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, and the Tokarev People's School.

From 1897 to 1900, Sokolov headed the construction commission responsible for erecting the City Hall building according to the design of Professor of Architecture Pomerantsev.

In Rostov, Sokolov met Natalia, his love. Natalia's life had not gone well: her first marriage was unsuccessful, her husband tragically died, and Sokolov was in the process of divorcing his first wife. Only the Holy Synod could grant a divorce. Sokolov fell in love with Natalia, and they lived together unmarried for 12 years, raising three children. Nikolai Matveevich bought her a three-story house on Pushkinskaya Street, which still stands today. After his death, Natalia sold the house and bought a smaller one on Sennaya Street. In the 1920s, this house was nationalized, and she was left with a few rooms on the second floor.

On April 13, 1892, by a decree of the Senate, Sokolov was promoted to collegiate assessors. He died suddenly from a heart attack. Shortly before his death, the Synod allowed him to annul his first marriage, which was important for him as an Orthodox Christian. The architect was buried at the Cross Exaltation City Cemetery.

During the Soviet era, many buildings constructed by Sokolov were destroyed, but the surviving structures have been included in the cultural heritage list. The name of this outstanding architect is gradually being restored to the history of Rostov-on-Don.