Take a look at the imposing yellow residence with massive white columns and the Star-Spangled Banner? It even peeps above the fir-trees. This is the Official Residence of the United States Ambassador, known as “Spaso House”.
The present-day residence of the Ambassador of the United States fell into the hands of a massively wealthy financial tycoon at the beginning of the twentieth century. Nikolai Alexandrovich Vtorov bought an extensive home for himself, but then proceeded to have the entire property demolished and rebuilt. Like many nouveaux-riches, dazzling his visitors took pride of place over matters of artistic taste. Vtorov set about furnishing the entire residence in the French style – though in fact all the pieces were copies made in Moscow workshops.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the house was used as offices by the controversial figure of People’s Commissar Georgy Chicherin – a former aristo with refined tastes and manners who had embraced the Socialist cause early on. From the 1930s the house was put to a new use, as the Official Residence of the American Ambassador.
(Spasopeskovskaya Place, № 10, neoclassicist style, architects. V. Adamovich and V. Mayat, 1913–1914)To this day a refined programme of concerts are given here by both Russian and American musicians. The tradition began early on, when famed soviet composer Sergey Prokofiev conducted a full performance of his opera “A Love For Three Oranges”.
The present-day residence of the Ambassador of the United States fell into the hands of a massively wealthy financial tycoon at the beginning of the twentieth century. Nikolai Alexandrovich Vtorov bought an extensive home for himself, but then proceeded to have the entire property demolished and rebuilt. Like many nouveaux-riches, dazzling his visitors took pride of place over matters of artistic taste. Vtorov set about furnishing the entire residence in the French style – though in fact all the pieces were copies made in Moscow workshops.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, the house was used as offices by the controversial figure of People’s Commissar Georgy Chicherin – a former aristo with refined tastes and manners who had embraced the Socialist cause early on. From the 1930s the house was put to a new use, as the Official Residence of the American Ambassador.
(Spasopeskovskaya Place, № 10, neoclassicist style, architects. V. Adamovich and V. Mayat, 1913–1914)To this day a refined programme of concerts are given here by both Russian and American musicians. The tradition began early on, when famed soviet composer Sergey Prokofiev conducted a full performance of his opera “A Love For Three Oranges”.