The history of the Vlahernskoye-Kuzminki estate dates back to 1702, when Peter I, in gratitude for assistance in equipping the navy and army, gifted the estate with a mill to his favorite G. Stroganov. Construction on these lands began under his sons. In 1716, a wooden church was built, consecrated in honor of the Stroganov family icon, the Vlahernskaya Mother of God. This name was also given to the nearby village. After the father's death, his heir Alexander took over the construction in Kuzminki, creating a cascade of ponds on the Churliha River.

In 1757, A. Stroganov's daughter married Prince M.M. Golitsyn, receiving the estate as a dowry. Until 1917, Kuzminki remained in the inheritance of the Golitsyn princes. Under Mikhail Mikhailovich, the estate transformed into a European-style country residence. The creation of the estate involved renowned artists, sculptors, and architects of the 18th-19th centuries: I. Zherebtsov, A. Voronikhin, R. Kazakov, I. Egotov, K. Rossi, D. Zhilyardi, A. Grigoriev, M. Bykovsky, P. Klodt.

Kuzminki reached its peak in the first quarter of the 19th century under Sergey Mikhailovich Golitsyn. The estate was referred to as the Moscow Pavlovsk. S. Golitsyn initiated a large-scale reconstruction, inviting the best architects, and repeatedly rebuilt the estate buildings. Swiss architect Domenico Zhilyardi developed projects for the complete reconstruction of the estate and several of its structures. The Horse Yard, Music Pavilion, Propylaea, Birch Arbor, Lion's Wharf, Linden Alley, hanging bridge, Bathhouse, Kitchen (Egyptian Pavilion), and Orange Greenhouse were created in the Empire style. The Birdhouse, Cattle Yard, and partially the main house were significantly rebuilt.

Cast sculptures and decorations were manufactured for Kuzminki at Ural foundries: an obelisk to Peter I, ornate gates, fence details, pedestals with chains, benches, lanterns, and girandoles, monuments to Empress Maria Feodorovna and Nicholas I, figures of lions and griffins at the gates. The main house and the parade yard were designed by architect I. Egotov. The entrance gates feature cast-iron griffins designed by S.P. Campioni. The gates and fence of the parade yard appeared in the late 19th and early 20th centuries to protect the private territory from summer residents. The original building of the manor house did not survive: it was destroyed by a fire in 1916, and a new building was constructed in its place in the 1930s according to S. Toropov's design.

The Church of the Vlahernskaya Icon of the Mother of God was rebuilt three times, with R. Kazakov reconstructing it in the classical style by 1785. The image of the Mother of God kept in the church is a copy of the Vlahernskaya icon from the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin. In 1929, the church was closed, the drum and bell tower were destroyed, and the building was partially reconstructed. In 1992, it was returned to the faithful and restored. The church is currently active.

Near the main house is the Egyptian Pavilion (Kitchen) designed by D. Zhilyardi. In the Empire era, the fascination with ancient and Egyptian motifs was popular, and the decor of the building is done in this style: the portico is adorned with palm-like columns and a sphinx head. The pavilion's cellars stored food, the first floor housed the kitchen, and the second floor was where the cooks lived. In 1839, the Kitchen was connected to the manor house by a covered gallery.

Significant works by Zhilyardi include the complex of buildings of the Horse Yard and the Music Pavilion. In the corner pavilions of the Horse Yard fence, there were living quarters for guests. In the central part of the fence was a pavilion where the serf horn orchestra performed. At the edges of the Music Pavilion, sculptural groups of horse tamers were installed in 1846, similar to the sculptures of the Anichkov Bridge in St. Petersburg (sculptor P. Klodt). In 1978, the Music Pavilion building burned down, and other premises of the Horse Yard were abandoned. In the early 2000s, the courtyard complex was restored, and exhibition halls were organized in its premises.

The two-story wooden 'House on the Dam' (Mill Wing) separates the Upper and Lower ponds; it was built in the 1840s on the foundation of the mill according to M. Bykovsky's design. The Golitsyns used the wing as a guest house, and during the Soviet era, it was rented out to summer residents, while in 1976 and 1999, it housed the Museum of Veterinary Medicine. Now the wing has been restored, and a restaurant operates there.

The Bird Yard in the estate has been known since 1765; initially, it was wooden and housed decorative birds. In 1805-1806, it was rebuilt in stone according to I. Egotov's project. In 1812, the birdhouse suffered serious damage from a fire. During the restoration of the estate after the French invasion, D. Zhilyardi redesigned the ruins of the Birdhouse into the Forge: the wings and galleries were dismantled, and the dome was replaced with a gable roof. During the Soviet era, the Forge was used for housing and was hidden behind numerous extensions. From the 1970s, the building stood abandoned. By 2008, the ensemble of the Birdhouse-Forge was restored according to Egotov's original project.

Opposite the church is the Bathhouse, or Soap House, a one-story pavilion originally built by M. Golitsyn. The dilapidated pavilion was demolished in 1804, and in its place, Zhilyardi built a new building in the Empire style in 1816-1817, preserving the layout and functions of the first structure. The Soap House has burned down multiple times, and it has been dismantled and rebuilt. In 2008, the building and the lost fountain in front of it were restored.

The three-arch and Large (single-arch) grottos in Kuzminki appeared after the construction of the Parade Yard. When leveling the ground for it, a slope formed on the pond's shore, where artificial 'underwater caves' were integrated. Amateur theatrical performances involving the hosts and guests of the estate were held in the Large grotto. Nearby is the repeatedly reconstructed Lion's Wharf. In 1830, D. Zhilyardi redesigned its upper platform: a wrought iron grille and cast-iron Egyptian lions appeared. During the Soviet era, the wharf fell into disrepair and was destroyed; it was restored in the 2000s.

The Orange Greenhouse is the only building of the estate where authentic interiors with ancient Egyptian themes have been preserved. Until 2001, it housed the Institute of Experimental Veterinary Medicine, which moved into the estate in 1918. Since it vacated, the building has gradually fallen into disrepair.

Not far from the greenhouse is Slobodka, a complex for servants and the household. Slobodka included: the servant wing, the clergy house, the laundry wing, and the hospital. All these buildings were rebuilt in stone according to Zhilyardi's project, framed by a common fence, along which a Poplar Alley was planted.

The surviving buildings of the cattle yard were erected in the 1840s by D. Zhilyardi's nephew, Alexander. The one-story brick building with two-story wings forms the letter 'P'. The wings housed grooms and cattlemen, while the one-story central part contained stalls. The cattle yard was adorned with bronze sculptures of bulls by P. Klodt. In 1889, after the reorganization of the premises, the Cattle Yard was transferred to the expanded Vlahern Hospital, founded during S.M. Golitsyn's time and operating until 1978. The Cattle Yard was connected to the wharf and propylaea by a flatboat bridge on pontoons, which was installed only in summer.

From the second half of the 19th century, dachas began to be built in the estate park and around it, forming a dacha settlement. In 1936, the Novo-Kuzminki settlement appeared near the estate. The former estate was named Old Kuzminki. In 1960, Kuzminki was included within the borders of Moscow. The estate became a monument of history and architecture. In 1976, the Kuzminki Culture and Recreation Park was created. The Museum of Russian Estate Culture has existed on the territory of the former Golitsyn estate since 1999.