The manor appeared on the Moscow map two centuries ago, in 1821, when Alexandra Shchepochkina, wife of landlord and manufacturer lieutenant Pavel Shchepochkin, built a one-story wooden house and two identical residential wings on both sides. Later, the manor changed owners, each of them modifying the building's architectural appearance. In 1884, the house acquired a more presentable appearance: the outbuildings were expanded and decorated in the style of the main house – Eclectic with predominating Classicism. In 1916, passages connected the outhouses to the main building in order to make a single composition.
After 1917, the manor housed a publishing house of the Central Statistical Office of the USSR, and since 1998 it is the residence of the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Spain.
"Over the years the outbuilding has been repeatedly rebuilt, the exterior has been changed many times. Certainly, this could not have had a positive effect on the structural features. Every new architect wanted to leave a mark in Moscow's history, not always caring about longevity. When we began the restoration in April 2021, we realized what enormous challenges we were to face. The wooden framework and the white-stone plinth were in critical condition. The Major Projects Department specialists have literally "saved the life" of this unique structure: it was a challenge we took up and tackled successfully," noted Dmitry Drachev, Head of Building Control on Reconstruction, Restoration, Major and Current Repair Projects of the GlavUpDK Major Projects Department.
Work on the façades of the wooden building required special care. The survey revealed multiple layers of different periods: plaster areas of numerous compositions on the metal mesh, fragments of lathwork and felt were made on the wooden frame of the cladding. Many of the façade and basement elements have deteriorated over the two hundred years since construction, with rot and wood engraver damage. A plinth of white stone blocks was also found under the layer of late concrete facing.
Fundamental work was done to restore and preserve the white-stone basement: the basement brickwork was repaired, and the bottom of the façade posts were cleaned out, with lost elements replaced. In addition, vents were arranged in the basement to provide air change under the building. The wooden frame was re-built and replaced, with fire and biosecurity applied to prevent insect re-emergence. The plaster layer has been recreated using an authentic technology – limestone-gypsum plaster on lathwork and felt. Major Projects Department specialists and the contractor worked with special reverence for the cultural heritage site using technology and materials similar to those used when the building was erected propped by modern experience and technology.
Once the work was completed, the plinth was lined with granite identical to that in the main house of the manor. Recreated moulded platbanded belt courses, hood moulds and other details of eclectic decorations, cornices, window ledges took their place on the façades, and the plaster elements were reinforced. Color solutions for the façades were chosen following a technological study of the extant paint layers.
The picturesque décor of the building was recreated from archival photographs: a skylight, decorative chimney caps, and art metal roof fence were made. The entrance group with an art cast-iron canopy, made in the style of the late 19th – early 20th centuries, was reproduced.
The work has made it possible to bring the building back to its historic appearance with its singular architectural elements and functional solutions conceived during construction.
