InvestBank (Moscow)

 office building, mansion / manor house / villa, interesting place, 1800s construction, 1937_construction, 1905_construction, 1903_construction, object of cultural heritage of federal importance (Russia)

InvestBank was established in 1989.
д.12, стр.1 - House of Titolmin, late 18th century Matvei Kazakov
д.12, стр.3 - North wing, beginning of the 19th century Matvei Kazakov
д.12, стр.7 - Residential wing 1905 - Vladimir Sherwood

Here on the hill sits the stone mansion of Timofei Tutolmin, which in the beginning of the 18th century was occupied by the estate of Baron Grigory Aleksandr Stroganov. As expected of a person newly titled by Peter the Great, the Baron built grandly. The house then passed to his daughter, who disassembled it in 1769 with plans to build a new palace. Using the stones from the earlier house, the wealthy merchant V. V. Surovshchikov in the 1770s built a three level structure with side wings extending in a semicircle around a courtyard. Also included in the plan was a belvedere, or open gallery, from which the Moskva and Yauza Rivers and most of the city could be viewed. The house is depicted in a painting called "View of the Yauza Bridge and the House of Shapkin" by Delabrat', although there was never an owner of that name.

By the beginning of the 19th century the house was owned by Timofei I. Tutolmin (1740-1809) who later became Governor General of Moscow from 1806-1809. During his time as governor, a topographic plan of Moscow was drawn up at Tutolmin's request. He also backed the initiative of setting up the Orphanage for "little children without means of subsistence neglected after the death of their parents who were nobles, officers, public servants, merchants and commoners". While under his ownership of the mansion, Tutolmin ordered a complete renovation, which was directed by Matvei Kazakov, the well-known architect. Kazakov included this house in his "Album" of Moscow houses, facades and plans. He used this "Album" to solicit work and attract other clients.

The mansion was damaged significantly during the fire of 1812. It stood vacant for some years, changing owners several times until the textile manufacturer Timofei Vasilevich Prokhorov (1797-1854) purchased it. Prokhorov, having taken over the operations of a small textile business from his ailing father at age sixteen, had turned it until a thriving concern. In 1816 he established a trade school for his workers' children. This was a novel idea not only in Russia, but also in all of Europe. Following a cholera outbreak in 1830, lots of Moscow children were left orphaned, and Prokhorov admitted many of them to his trade school. In 1833 Prokhorov passed control of the family business to his brothers in order to establish a textile factory-school in this location. He operated the school and factory in this mansion that he had renovated. There were classrooms, workshops, and sales offices, plus residential quarters for the students and staff. Another contribution of Prokhorov to business practices was the establishment of internal regulations, clearly spelled out expectations between management and labor. Among the rules were a ten-hour workday, no work on Sunday and holidays, and rules to combat drinking. "Drunkenness is to be corrected by an admonition - for the first time, a moderate punishment later, and monetary fines later still. If none of these measures should have an effect, a worker is to be dismissed from the factory." Classes were held and chintz was made on this site until 1854 when Prokhorov died, and the building changed hands again.

At some point, it was an all-girls grammar school. Then in 1903-1904 the new owner, E. P. Yaroshenko ordered extensive renovations by Vladimir Sherwood. Significant modifications occurred again in a 1930s reconstruction. These were removed during the 1980s, and a restoration project returned the building to its former glory.