Many Petersburgers know this building simply as a “House with a Tower”. But in fact, his fate is very interesting.

Let's start with the background. At the beginning of the twentieth century, this land was purchased by a merchant Dernov I.I. According to the project of engineer Kondratyev, an apartment building was built in a fairly short time. The merchant chose this site, because at that time the land here was very cheap.

However, popularity came to this place only after 1905, when the poet Vyacheslav Ivanov settled in it together with his wife Lidia Zinovieva-Annibal. The couple just arrived from Europe. The apartment was located in the corner of the building, known to everyone as the “tower”.

The poet decided to spend Ivanovo Wednesdays in his apartment. Not everyone could attend the meetings, but only some literary creators. The fact of presence meant belonging to the chosen literary society. Among the guests were such famous poets as Anna Akhmatova, Alexander Blok, Nikolai Gumilev and many others.

These meetings were very interesting for the police, which is why 27 participants were searched in 1905. But this did not stop the members of the salon from gathering every next Wednesday in the tower.

In 1906, due to the death of the poet's wife, the meetings had to be suspended. However, this break lasted for two years. But even after the resumption of meetings, the meetings were not destined to last long. In 1912, Vyacheslav Ivanov left for France, and then Italy. After returning, the poet decided to move to Moscow, and Ivanovo Wednesdays ceased to exist.

The house has been in scaffolding for the last few years, however, neither restoration nor restoration work has been carried out.