In 1835, this site was bought by a merchant Tarasov and turned into an amusement park. In 1898, Yaroslavl merchant Pyotr Tumpakov rented the territory of the park for 25 years and erased all the old buildings from the face of the earth, opened a restaurant on this site, built a theater nearby and called it Buff .

The garden was covered with garlands with electric bulbs, and a flower garden of natural and artificial flowers was arranged at the exit. When it was getting dark, colorful lights flashing with electric butterflies lit up in the flowers, and music played. Petersburgers who did not get to the restaurant, or who were not among theatergoers, walked here all night long... The restaurant served sumptuous food — there were oysters and champagne, and the fun at the Buff Garden Theater, as it was then called, did not stop for a minute. The pier by the garden constantly received guests. All of St. Petersburg came here to see the amazing lights, talk on the restaurant's terrace and have a great time.

Even the revolution did not change the addiction of citizens to walks in the Izmailovsky Garden, only the Buff Theater was renamed the Summer Theater. During the siege of Leningrad, the garden turned into a vegetable garden, surviving together with the residents of the hero city and supplying them with vegetables during a difficult time for all.

The garden has preserved its theatrical traditions to this day, and new sculptures have appeared on its alleys. In 1940, the theater was converted into an artificial skating rink, which operated here until 1970. A little later, the summer stage was turned into the Youth Theater. The tradition of theatrical performances continues: sculptures associated with the theater are still installed on the territory, and the park is still loved by the residents of the city.