My new virtual photo walk through St. Petersburg is dedicated to the former House of the First Russian Insurance Company, located at 40 Bolshaya Morskaya Street. The building is on the way to St. Isaac’s Cathedral and the Bronze Horseman, so it can easily be included in your walking route through the heart of the Northern Capital of Russia.
History of the Building
In the first half of the 18th century, there were two houses on this and the neighboring plot, both owned by a townsman named Brylkin (or Brilken). Later, the owners of these houses changed several times, and by 1837 the property belonged to master baker E. I. Shtrauch. At that time, the two buildings were joined together and extended by an additional two floors.
By the end of the 19th century, the building came into the possession of the Russian Fire Insurance Society, later known as the First Russian Insurance Company. As the name suggests, the organization was engaged in insuring various buildings and assets against fire. The eventual omission of the word “fire” from the name was likely due to the expansion of insured property types beyond just fire risk.
The society may have originated in 1822, when the Stieglitz Banking House planned to establish its own insurance company under the name “St. Petersburg Phoenix.” In reality, however, the Russian Fire Insurance Society was founded in 1827. An interesting detail: the society’s first policyholder was a certain G. A. Mordvinova, who insured her St. Petersburg mansion. She happened to be the wife of the society’s first board chairman, and most likely wanted to promote the organization chaired by her husband.
The current building of the insurance company was constructed in 1899–1900. The project was designed by the renowned St. Petersburg architect Leonty Nikolayevich Benois, assisted by his cousin, Yuliy Yulyevich Benois.
Since the 1920s, the building housed the Industrial Polytechnic. I came across news that in modern times, in 2016, the property was transferred to the ownership of the St. Isaac’s Cathedral Museum.
How to Get There by Metro
The House of the First Russian Insurance Company is just a few minutes’ walk from Admiralteyskaya metro station. Online maps don’t indicate which organizations currently occupy the building, but the address is listed, for example, in the contact details of the Main Directorate of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations (EMERCOM) for St. Petersburg.
If you’re looking for attractions nearby, right across the street you’ll find the ROSPHOTO museum and exhibition center. In summer, you can walk to St. Isaac’s Square, admire the famous St. Isaac’s Cathedral, and see the unusual transformer garden near Mariinsky Palace.
Have a nice trip!
