Moscow City Hall Building (Russian: Здание мэрии Москвы) (also known as Golitsin House (Russian: дом Голицина) and Chernyshev Estate (Russian: Усадьба Чернышёва)) is a building located in Moscow at 13 Tverskaya Street. It was built in 1782 according to the design of the architect Matvey Kazakov and until 1917 served as the residence of Moscow governors general. After the October Revolution, the house was occupied by the Moscow City Council, the city legislature during the Soviet period. Since 1993, the building has been under the control of the Mayor of Moscow and the Government of Moscow.

In the second half of the 18th century, a section of Tverskaya Street near Voznesensky Lane was severely damaged by the Trinity Fire. In 1778-1782 a new building was erected on this site. Most historians attribute the authorship of the project to Matvey Kazakov, but some researchers believe that he only carried out engineering work according to the plan of an unknown architect. The estate served as the personal residence of Count Zakhar Chernyshev, who by the time the work was completed took the post of Governor General of Moscow.

The three-story palace in the style of mature classicism was facing Tverskaya Square. It had an enfilade layout: after climbing the main staircase, decorated with copper balusters, visitors found themselves in the White Hall. Its walls were decorated with marble and figured bas-reliefs, the floor was covered with stacked parquet with dark oak inlay. Under the ceiling there were special choirs for musicians, which were supported by paired columns from below. Through the marble Blue Hall, guests entered the Red Hall, which differed sharply from the strict design of the previous rooms. The room was decorated in white, gold and scarlet shades, and was also decorated with many mirrors, stucco moldings and colored decorations. On the back side of the estate there were side buildings that created a courtyard. During the construction of the foundation, materials from the dismantled walls of the White City were used.

In 1785, after Chernyshev's death, the estate was purchased at the expense of the treasury from his heirs. In the 1790s, the estate was reconstructed according to the design of Matvey Kazakov. By that time, it received the name "Tver State House, occupied by the Governor General" and was one of the largest administrative buildings outside the Kremlin walls. To heat the premises, the building contained 182 Dutch, 52 Russian and 17 ovens, as well as four fireplaces and 12 hearths. It is known that in the future the residence was repeatedly rebuilt in accordance with the requirements and tastes of the incumbent mayor. By the end of the 18th century, a military parade ground was built in front of the mansion, and in 1806 a house church was built on the premises, which existed until 1921.

The mayor's residence survived the Moscow fires of 1812, but was heavily damaged by vandalism by French Imperial Army. The soldiers used wooden doors and parquet to light stoves and fireplaces. The restoration of the palace began only in 1814 under Governor General Alexander Tormasov under the leadership of the architect V. Miroshevsky. A year later, a reception was given within the walls of the house in honor of the birthday of Emperor Alexander I of Russia. Some researchers believe that it was during this period that Kazakov's orderless architectural composition was supplemented with Corinthian pilasters. In 1823, the building was damaged by fire, the restoration of which took more than two years. Later, in 1839, some of the courtyard wings were converted into official apartments.

By the end of the 19th century, the area in which the estate was located was quite noisy. Near the mayor's residence there were the Tver fire department, a political prison, a sobering station and a morgue. The night route of goldsmiths carrying out sewage from the city passed by the house. Nevertheless, the estate was one of the cultural centers of Moscow thanks to Governor General Vladimir Andreyevich Dolgorukov, who often held balls on the estate. According to rumors, the swindler Pavel Speyer, who ran the Jacks of Hearts Club, infiltrated one of these evenings under the guise of a wealthy landowner. He charmed Dolgorukov with small talk and asked permission to show the estate to a foreign friend. The next day, Speyer visited the house, accompanied by an English nobleman, and examined the estate under the supervision of the official on duty. As it turned out later, the fraudster introduced himself as the owner of the residence and entered into a sale deal with the foreigner, but the accompanying person could not understand this, since he did not know English.

During the tenure of Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich as governor, the building underwent a large-scale reconstruction under the leadership of architect Nikolai Sultanov. The estate was equipped with running water, a heating system, electricity, two elevators were installed, and the stables were rebuilt into a garage. At the order of the prince, an exhibition of portraits of all Moscow mayors was organized, as well as a collection of gifts donated to the city administration.

After the October Revolution, the former residence of the Governor General was occupied by the headquarters of the Red Guards and the Military Revolutionary Committee. In March 1917, the building was transferred to the department of the Council of Workers' and Soldiers' Deputies, which was later renamed the Mossoviet. After the government moved to the Kremlin, Vladimir Lenin spoke in this house several times. So, in 1919, from the balcony of the building, he made a speech to the communists going to the front. Later, this event formed the basis for the painting of the same name by Dmitry Nalbandyan, and was also immortalized on a commemorative plaque installed on the wall of the building.