The house with lions, as the residents of Yaroslavl call the ancient estate on Bolshaya Oktyabrskaya Street. In the past, it was one of the most beautiful and modern buildings in terms of domestic arrangements. Built in the mid-18th century by the Zatrapeznikov merchants, it became one of 46 stone houses in Yaroslavl by 1760. The house was rented out for the accommodation of noble and wealthy guests, among whom was the first governor-general of the Yaroslavl lands, Alexei Melgunov, who had a secret residence there. With his involvement, the construction plan for Yaroslavl was approved.

In the early 19th century, the building was altered: it was expanded due to the courtyard volume, and the facades were designed in a classical style with a symmetrical composition. The front facade was adorned with a four-column portico of the Corinthian order, the walls were rusticated, and the windows were framed with decorative moldings. At that time, a stone fence and gates with lion sculptures appeared in front of the house, giving it its popular name.

In the 1870s, the house became the property of Nikolai Sorokin, an honorary citizen and merchant of Yaroslavl. He significantly remodeled the building, adding a third floor and decorating it with baroque-style elements. A balcony appeared between the columns, and the interior included oak and pine parquet, water heating, and plumbing. Gilyarovsky, a well-known chronicler of Moscow, called Sorokin's house a luxurious Italian palazzo. The estate also had stables, a carriage house, service facilities, and a garden with a greenhouse.

The Sorokins rented out spaces to various educational institutions. Local historian P. Kritsky mentions that the house housed a private preparatory school run by A. Vakhromeyeva.

After the revolution, the house became municipal property, and a tuberculosis dispensary was established there, which operated until 1985. Restoration work to restore the estate began in the 1980s.