The theater building, constructed by Gavrila Gavrilovich Solodovnikov, is a historical site in Moscow, located at the intersection of Kuznetsky Most and Bolshaya Dmitrovka streets. It is based on the estate of the Shcherbatov-Shakhovsky family, which was reconstructed in 1883-1884 at the request of a merchant specifically for the theater. Here, the 'Private Russian Opera' of S. I. Mamontov and the 'Zimin Opera Theater' were housed. Since 1961, the building has been home to the Moscow Operetta Theater. This building is recognized as a cultural heritage site of federal significance.

In May 1893, Solodovnikov approached the city administration with a request to allow the construction of a concert hall with a theater stage on his plot on Bolshaya Dmitrovka. Architect Tersky, knowing Solodovnikov's frugality, proposed a modest design for a two-story theater, which was rejected as too simple. As a result, a more ambitious multi-story theater was designed.

Construction on Bolshaya Dmitrovka was completed in record time, and by 1894 the theater was ready to welcome audiences. It was built of stone and iron and could accommodate 3,100 people. However, the state commission noted deficiencies: poor interior finishing, inadequate ventilation, lack of emergency exits, and uncomfortable seating in the hall. Despite this, thanks to the intervention of Governor Sergey Alexandrovich, the theater opened on December 24, 1895, with Donizetti's opera 'La Favorita.' The theater hosted performances by the Italian opera troupe and M. V. Lentovsky's troupe, and later became home to the Private Opera of S. I. Mamontov, where Fyodor Shalyapin performed for the first time in Moscow. From 1904 to 1917, it was the opera of S. I. Zimin.

After 1917, Zimin's opera was transferred to the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies and renamed the Theater of the Council of Workers' Deputies. In 1919, it became the Small State Opera, and in 1921, the Theater of Musical Drama. In 1922, Zimin took over the theater, organizing the joint-stock company 'First Free Opera of S. I. Zimin.' The theater was closed in 1924, but the troupe was exonerated after an investigation. In 1925 and 1928, the theater was called Experimental, in 1929 and 1935, the 2nd State Theater of Opera and Ballet, and from 1936 it became a branch of the Bolshoi Theater. That same year, the building was reconstructed. In part of the building facing Kuznetsky Most, S. I. Zimin lived until his death in 1942. During the Soviet era, it housed a clinic for the Union of Theater Workers of the RSFSR and the Bolshoi Theater. After the Bolshoi Theater received a second stage in the Kremlin Palace of Congresses, the Moscow Operetta Theater has been located here since 1961. In the late 1990s, there were plans to demolish the building and construct a new one, but these plans were not realized.