Chicherin House

The Chicherin House at 15 Nevsky Prospekt is known for the fact that the architect Giacomo Quarenghi lived there from 1780 to 1783. In 1919–1923, the House of Arts worked here on the initiative of Maxim Gorky, where Alexander Grin wrote "Scarlet Sails," and on August 3, 1921, Nikolai Gumilev was arrested. In 1923, the "Svetlaya Lenta" cinema opened in the building, where Dmitri Shostakovich, a student at the conservatory, briefly worked as a pianist. In 1902–1904, the building on the Moika River was rebuilt by A. K. Hammerstedt, who created interiors in historical styles and in Art Nouveau forms.