in the 1880s, ivan redikortsev, an official involved in the mining industry, commissioned a two-story house to be built on the slope of a prominent hill. the length of the facade was 31 metres. in 1898, the mansion passed to sharaviev, a gold dealer of tainted reputation. ten years later, the house was acquired by nikolai nikolayevich ipatiev, a military engineer, who turned the ground floor into his office.