Central House of Literature (Moscow)

 cafe, cinema, club, interesting place, concert hall, 1955_construction, 1887_construction, object of cultural heritage of regional importance (Russia)

object of cultural significance
www.cdlart.ru (Russian only)
Club, Movie Theater, Restaurant

Former main house of the city estate of B. B. Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky

Mansion where gathered the most influential noble families of the Masonic lodge in Russia. It was built in 1889 under the order of Prince B. B. Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky by the famous Moscow architect P. S. Boitsov. The house was built in modern style with romantic leanings. Soon after reconstruction, the house was bought by the wife of the general from a cavalry Alexander Andreev Olsufev, her Royal Highness the Grand duchess Elisaveta Fedorovna, nee Miklashevsky. She lived here until 1917 when she was compelled to emigrate from Russia.

After October revolution the house was occupied by the city poor until 1925 when the house was occupied by department of child care with a day care center. Then in 1932 the building became the House of Writers. The Central House of writers was based here in 1934 – in the year of the first congress of the Soviet writers and formation of the Union of writers of the USSR. The legendary creative club of the Moscow writers became the present house for many known people of that epoch.

The Central House of Literature became a favorite place of the literary community, even in military war years the life here did not stop. In its dining room meals were arranged for writers and members of their families. For fans of literature this became an original temple of literature. To be invited to a meeting in here was an honor for generations of Muscovites. The Central House of writers at first settled down in Povarskaya Street which for a while during Soviet times has another name but is again called Povarskaya Street.

In the late fifties a new building was attached to the house on the side of the court yard with an exit on parallel street, So the House of Literature became the House on two streets. There appeared a new Big and Small halls, a cellar where a cafe continues to operate, a billiards room, a fine lobby and hall, office accommodations and new big cafe which in due course was named the Pestrov hall.