Information about the building

This unique house has become a symbol of prosperity and success for the famous confectionery family of Russia and is now associated with popular candy brands.

The founder of the dynasty, Stepan Nikolaev, was a serf under the Penzian landowner Levashova and gained freedom for himself and his family in 1804. He successfully made sweets: candied fruits, marmalade, jam, and apricot pastila, which gave him his surname. Once free, he moved with his family to Moscow and registered as a merchant in the Semyonovskaya sloboda to continue his business. His son, Ivan Stepanovich, expanded the family production, turning it into a manufactory. But true success came under his son, Alexei Ivanovich Abrikosov, who became a first-guild merchant, received the title of hereditary honorary citizen, and the rank of actual state councilor.

In the 1880s, Alexei Ivanovich moved production from Sverchkov Lane in the center of Moscow to Malaya Krasnoselskaya Street, which was rapidly becoming an industrial area. On a four-hectare plot, a huge factory of the Abrikosovs was built with numerous workshops, the names of which reflected the range of products: chocolate, pastila, candy, caramel, biscuit. Packaging was also produced here. By 1890, the factory produced 53 thousand poods (848 tons) of candy and 5 thousand poods (72 tons) of jam annually. For participating in the All-Russian Art and Industrial Exhibition in 1899, the “Partnership of A.I. Abrikosov Sons” received the title of “Supplier to His Imperial Majesty’s Court” and the right to place the state coat of arms on its products.

The Abrikosovs built their house near the factory at the corner of Malaya Krasnoselskaya and Proyezzhaya Streets (later Lobachika Street). Architect Boris Shnaubert, known for the Tsvetkov mansion in the “Neo-Russian” style, designed and constructed the building in the Art Nouveau style in 1905. According to one version, it had a foreign prototype, the mansion of Madame Gilbert in Paris. The Abrikosov House is centered around a corner volume with a main entrance and three bay windows on the second floor. The first level is modestly decorated, while the second retains window frames with a honeycomb pattern, possibly hinting at the honey sweets of the factory. Other wooden window details have pseudo-Gothic features. The curved stucco details under the second-floor windows resemble candy bowls. The facades of the house demonstrate what the owners were engaged in. The roof fence is made in the Art Nouveau style, its elements give the house a wavy appearance. The historical wooden doors of the mansion have also been preserved.

After the revolution, the Abrikosov enterprise was nationalized, becoming State Confectionery Factory No. 2 in 1918, and in 1922 it was named after the Moscow Bolshevik Pyotr Babaev. However, the old name was retained for a long time: in the 1920s-1930s, wrappers stated “Babaev Factory (formerly Abrikosov).” Production on Malaya Krasnoselskaya Street still exists today. The family house of the Abrikosovs has become a symbol of preserving traditions, with its image adorning the factory's products as an official logo.

Restoration

Restoration work is being carried out in the building. In 2020, the facades were restored, revealing their original soft olive color, removing 14-15 layers from each detail. Specialists are currently restoring the interiors, with completion planned by the end of 2022.