Not far from Kitay-Gorod, in the 1600s, a stone-fenced Salt Yard was built with spacious cellars for storing salt. In the first decade of the last century, the buildings of this yard were demolished, and apartment buildings were built here by order of the Moscow Merchant Society. These buildings were designed by famous Moscow architects, in particular V. Sherwood. Particular attention should be paid to the cellars under these houses with high vaults, in which warehouses were supposed to be located. To create the appropriate conditions, the ventilation and lighting system has been carefully thought out. Shops were to be located on the ground floors of the houses themselves, and the upper floors were intended for residential apartments.

The houses in this complex are built in the neoclassical style, individual buildings are connected to each other by a passage and courtyards-wells. The construction was finally completed in 1915. Statues of Slava are installed on the front facade of one of the buildings, thanks to which this complex of residential buildings is called not only the Salt House and the Gray House on Solyanka, but also the house under angels.

Movies are often shot in the Salt House and its cellars. Episodes of the films “Through Thorns to the Stars”, “Brother” and others were filmed here.