The house was built by soldiers of the Semyonovsky Regiment, there were rumors that Peter I himself helped them in this. And although the tsar's participation in construction works is more like a beautiful legend, it is known for certain that the construction The building was completed in three days and lasted from May 24 to May 26, 1703. At that time, it was the only civil building in the entire “new city” of St. Petersburg.

Despite the status of the “royal residence”, the Cabin of Peter I is a simple log cabin. The walls of the House are made of pine timber, the roof is covered with shingles. The decorations include a facade, skillfully stylized “brick”, and a tiny mortar cannon with wooden cores on the ridge of the roof. The façade admired the tsar's contemporaries: Petersburgers called it “red mansions”, and visitors often described this House in their memoirs. The area of the building is 60 m², and the ceilings, despite the heroic growth of the tsar, are only two meters high. Perhaps Peter's love for small cozy rooms was due to the fact that he spent the first years of his life in a modest upper room with his mother.

The interior of the house is no less modest: the walls and ceiling are covered with canvas, the doors and windows are painted with floral bouquets. A flagpole was installed in the courtyard, and when Peter stayed here, the royal standard, decorated with a double-headed eagle, fluttered on the flagpole.

Upon entering, visitors are immediately taken to the entrance hall, from which you can access the study, dining room or bedroom. The house is not heated, but a tiled stove was built in the king's office. All the furnishings of Peter the Great's times have been preserved in the rooms. Of particular interest is the bronze plaque, which indicates the king's height - two meters and four centimeters.

During the lifetime of Peter I, the House was declared an architectural monument. In the middle of the XIX century, it was “dressed” in a brick case, and in 1875, a bust of Peter the Great was installed in front of it, which was made by famous sculptors P. N. Zabello and E. F. Gilles.

The building is clearly destined to be the first in the history of the city. Thus, the House was not only the first building in St. Petersburg, but also became the first museum that opened to visitors after the Great Patriotic War. The museum is open here today and operates under the supervision of the Russian Museum.