In St. Petersburg, Tchaikovsky Street (former Sergius), it stands alone, the owner of which was a gold miner, a businessman, a descendant of Russified Germans, Alexander Kelch Ferdinandovich. The structure, due to certain features, different from the other mansions and houses, which are located on this street. Facade front of the mansion in the style of the French Renaissance, the courtyard facades are the features of the Gothic style. The richly decorated interior motives (besides Gothic and Renaissance), guessed the Rococo style.

The authorship of the project development of the mansion and its interior decoration by the architect Vasily Ivanovich Shёne and Vladimir Ivanovich Chagin. The project approved in 1896, and already during the construction of the mansion in the project to make a significant change, as a result, it had to re-assert in 1903, when the building was already partially built. Front of the house from the front side of a sandstone - basement lined with pink, the other floors - light yellow.

The interior of the mansion elaborated and executed in an extremely difficult technique. Decorated harmoniously intertwined various techniques and styles: the main entrance staircase in typical Renaissance style, detail A detailed composition in Gothic style dining room is decorated with stained glass windows, living room in the rococo style. The interior used sculpture, carving, stucco work.

It is interesting from the point of view of the integrity and completeness of architectural solutions and the courtyard of the house. Call (stables) wing completes Yard perspective. Brick walls, that it was decided not to plaster, contrasted with the artfully made decoration and openwork pavilion in the Gothic style. Above the aisle in the backyard stands the arch in the same Gothic style.

Noteworthy effectively made room instead of a huge fireplace, staircase, living room, decorated with stucco ceiling, rich Gothic decoration dining.

Alexander Kelch bought for decoration of the mansion a large number of exquisite decorative objects of great masters. For example, Easter eggs, which Kelch ordered Carl Faberge, the whole of Russia could only afford oilman Ludvig Nobel, the emperor and the AF Kelch. Kelch for his wife Faberge himself selects rare jewels.

Fate Kelch is of particular interest. Kelch after the October Revolution had not left Russia, and prefer to stay and work in Siberia ordinary workers at the former its plant. Later, in the 20s, Kelch returned to St. Petersburg. But attempts to find a job failed, he was forced to sell cigarettes on the street, begging. Everything ends, that Kelch was arrested in 1930 and deported in Stalin's camps. Nowadays many auctions you can find jewels from a rich collection of Alexander Kelch.

Kelch Mansion has undergone severe destruction in the years of blockade, but was restored in the 44-45 years of the last century. UNESCO Center in St. Petersburg was in a mansion in the 1990s.

In the years of the Soviet period the building housed various organizations. For example, since 1919, it worked here the world's first school of cinematography, in which the acting and directing many trained artists. So, in 1924, he graduated from the Institute Sergey Vasilyev, later created the legendary Soviet film "Chapayev". While the building is not heated, and the students were called mansion "ice house".

More recently, former mansion has been transferred to the ownership of the Ministry of Justice.