The Kikin Chambers is a house that once belonged to Peter I's associate, Admiral-Counselor Alexander Kikin. The construction of Kikin's residence began in 1714. By that time, he had already been a batman in Peter's Azov campaign and received the Admiralty in his department. The house was built near the Smolny Institute, but the name of the architect has not been found out. However, there is a version that Andreas Schluter, one of the most prominent and popular architects of that time, was directly involved in the creation of his project.

However, Alexander Kikin never managed to live in his palace. In 1718, he was sentenced to death by wheeling as one of the organizers of Tsarevich Alexei's flight abroad. Despite the fact that the house has not seen its owner, the mansion has been named after Kikin for several centuries.

Immediately after Kikin's death, the house acquired the status of state property. In the period from 1719 to 1727, the building of the Kikin Chambers was converted into a royal library, and it also housed a rich collection of Peter the Great's Kunstkamera. A few years later, the building was rebuilt, and there was a chancellery, a church and an infirmary. However, these transformations were not the last, the Kikins chambers were constantly reorganized. In 1829, in accordance with the project of the Russian architect, a representative of classicism Alexander Staubert, another restructuring took place. This time, the baroque decor that had adorned the building for hundreds of years was completely destroyed. In the XIX century, the Kikin chambers were transformed beyond recognition. For example, two additional rooms on the Neva side were added to the building.

During the Great Patriotic War, the house was shelled, then the chambers were badly damaged by the fire, but as a result of the destruction, some architectural features began to appear Peter the Great era. In 1952, the famous Russian architect Irina Benois undertook the reconstruction of the house, her work aimed at restoring the historical identity of the building.

Since 1995, the St. Petersburg Music Lyceum has been located here. This is one of the most prestigious educational institutions of the Northern Capital, where hundreds of children learn to play a variety of instruments. But first of all, the Kikin Chambers is the architectural heritage of the city, which draws attention to the glorious past, during the time of the great Emperor Peter I, who more than three hundred years ago built the city on the Neva and changed the life of the country forever.