January 12, 2025 The villa on Kropotkinsky Lane will be tidied up. Photo: Anna Bykova, “Moscow Evening” Representatives of the Department of Cultural Heritage approved the start of the project to restore the facade and entrance hall of the Alexandra Derozhinskaya villa on Kropotkinsky Lane. The historical structure was erected by architect Fyodor Shekhtel. The building is located at: Kropotkinsky Lane, building number 13. It was built in 1901-1903 for Alexandra Derozhinskaya, the heiress of a textile company. The mansion became an illustration of the grace and new technology of the early 20th century. “Everything here – from the general design to the architectural details, such as the wooden floor pattern – was made according to the same plan of architect Fyodor Shekhtel. In 2013, the mansion was comprehensively restored. Now it's time to slightly update the decorative details of the building's exterior, as well as clean up the entrance,” said the head of the City Heritage. Moscow City Alexei Emelyanov is quoted on the Moscow mayor's website. Repairs will begin once the project has been agreed upon and permission received. Until the beginning of the 20th century, on the site of the mansion there was a small one-story wooden house, where the poet Gabriel Derzhavin visited at the end of the 18th century and the memoirist Elizaveta Yankova lived in the middle of the 19th century. The mansion became the embodiment of the fantasies of Fyodor Shekhtel; he created a complex of mansions, open street fences and economic services buildings, and the uniqueness of the building can be called turquoise glazed tiles on turrets with stucco decoration and a large window in the center of the facade. The architect created a layout, the main part of which is the lobby with 11 meter high ceilings, and the center of the house's layout is a staircase lined with slate. The mansion is also fully equipped with amenities: heating, ventilation, running water, electricity and telephone. After 1917, the building was converted into a diplomatic residence and since 1959, the Australian Embassy has been located here.
