Kikin Hall is one of the oldest buildings in Saint Petersburg. Alexander Kikin commissioned the diminutive residence in 1714. The architect is unknown, but similarities to the old Peterhof palace suggest Andreas Schlüter. In 1718 the palace was still incomplete when Kikin was disgraced and executed. The original two-story building was expanded in the 1720s, and a third story was added.
The crown confiscated the building after Kikin's execution. It housed the royal library and the Academy of Sciences' cabinet of curiosities, which was later moved to the Kunstkamera. After 1733 the Horse Guards' office and their hospital occupied it.
A complete remodel in 1829 removed its Baroque decor. Aerial bombs damaged the dilapidated building in the 1940s.
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