The history of the estate, located between Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street and Kislovsky Lanes, begins in the 1710s. At that time, a wooden house on a stone foundation stood on the red line of the street. To the right was a wing, and behind it, a utility building. For a hundred years, the estate was owned by the Kolychevs, a notable Russian family, to which the Moscow Metropolitan Philip belonged. He opposed Ivan the Terrible's Oprichnina, was exiled and killed by Malyuta Skuratov, and later canonized.

In 1756, the Ober-Krigs-Kommissar Fyodor Grigoryevich Kolychev lived here with his family.

In 1802, the Kolychevs completely rebuilt the estate, erecting a three-story main house with arches connecting it to the wings. The house is adorned with a pediment and a portico with columns, while the facade is decorated with sculpted female heads. The estate became a model of Moscow classicism and has remained almost unchanged.

In 1809, the estate changed owners. The last of the Kolychevs married Baron Bode. The house was first owned by Pyotr Grigoryevich Bordakov, and then by Prince Andrei Ivanovich Gorchakov, a nephew of Suvorov and a talented military leader known for his phenomenal memory.

After Gorchakov's death in 1855, the estate was sold to the Moscow Synodal Office. The Synodal Choir and the church singing school were established here. The choir, founded in the early 18th century, included children's voices from 1767. In the 1860s, a school with four classes was created, which was later reformed into an eight-grade institution.

The supervisory board of the school included famous composers such as Tchaikovsky and Taneyev. The school became a center for church music, and its program included harmony and instrumental play. Stepan Vasilyevich Smolensky became the head, inviting Alexander Dmitrievich Kastalsky to teach.

In 1886, the reconstruction of the estate began, led by architect Vladimir Dmitrievich Sher. A building with apartments and a concert hall, known today as the Rachmaninoff Hall, was constructed. In the early 1890s, the main house and wings were redesigned.

Graduates of the school became renowned musicians and composers. In 1918, the school was transformed into the People's Choral Academy, and in 1923 it merged with the Moscow Conservatory. The building was transferred to the law faculty of Moscow State University.

In 1979, the hall was reopened for concerts. In 1983, the Conservatory placed classrooms and the Scientific Center for Church Music here. Since the mid-1980s, the hall has been named after Rachmaninoff, in honor of the composer who collaborated with the Synodal School and Choir.